Abhishek Banerjee attack: Trinamool says arrests just for show, main culprits are BJP workers
KOLKATA: After six people were arrested in connection with the attack and harassment of Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee in Sonarpur, the party on Sunday claimed that the police action was merely a formality and alleged that the actual perpetrators were linked to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The party also raised concerns over the security arrangements available to Banerjee, questioning whether the central security cover provided to a sitting Member of Parliament would continue to accompany him in such situations.
Reacting to the arrests, Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy alleged that those arrested were not the principal accused behind the incident and accused the authorities of failing to act against the alleged masterminds.
"This is just for the show. The main perpetrators were active BJP workers; no action has been taken. Just as the police did not take any preventive steps to maintain peace when Abhishek went to Sonarpur, similarly, the police are not taking any steps to arrest the culprits. As you saw, Abhishek was beaten all over his body, and no sufficient action has been taken," Roy told IANS.
Banerjee was heckled and attacked when he went to the family of a deceased Trinamool worker in Sonarpur on Saturday. He faced public outrage on the way, with some people throwing eggs and brick fragments at him, while 'thief slogans were also raised by a section of protesters.
The Trinamool leader, who is the nephew of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, had to face harassment while walking to the house of the Trinamool worker, and some of the protesters heckled him and tried to punch him even as he was being protected by his security personnel.
Responding to BJP leaders' assertion that the incident reflected growing public anger against the Trinamool Congress, Roy rejected the claim and accused the BJP of attempting to create a misleading political narrative.
"No, this is bogus. See, this is the narrative that is being spread by the BJP, that there is a lot of public anger. The TMC also got 2.60 crore votes in the state. And the public has a lot of things to do apart from attacking TMC workers. It is only BJP goons and ruffians, provoked by their state leaders, who are carrying out these attacks," Roy said.
On questions regarding the security cover available to Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress leader expressed uncertainty over whether central forces would continue to provide protection during such public engagements.
"The Central Force, I do not know if they will accompany him. Central Forces were meant for protecting BJP leaders during TMC's rule. Whether they will be accompanying Abhishek Banerjee is a matter of speculation, I don't know," Roy said.
The BJP, however, strongly condemned the incident and distanced itself from the attack, maintaining that the party had no role in the events that unfolded in Sonarpur.
West Bengal BJP President Samik Bhattacharya said that violence against any political leader was unacceptable and should not be supported by any democratic society.
"The Bharatiya Janata Party does not support any kind of violence. What happened with Abhishek Banerjee yesterday is not acceptable in any civilised society. No one supports it, and the Bharatiya Janata Party has no connection with it whatsoever," Bhattacharya said.
He further rejected attempts to politically link the BJP to the incident and maintained that law enforcement agencies were carrying out their responsibilities.
"However, if Trinamool attacks Trinamool, what can we do? The police are doing their job, and everyone can see the people who are getting arrested. It is not right to drag parties into this incident," he added.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena spokesperson Raju Waghmare described the episode as an expression of public resentment rather than a new political development.
"This is not a new political trend; it is a reaction from the people. These are emotions that had been suppressed under the TMC government. It reflects public anger against TMC's alleged injustice and atrocities, and the way the party allegedly supported the accused instead of providing justice to victims," Waghmare said.
He further claimed that resentment had been building among sections of the public over several issues and was now surfacing in visible ways.
--IANS
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