Kolkata: Trinamool Congress general secretary and the party’s Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee was severely heckled on Saturday after he reached Sonarpur in South 24 Paragans district of West Bengal to meet a party worker who reportedly became a victim of post-poll violence after May 4, when the results of the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections were announced.
On Saturday afternoon, soon after he received a notice from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for interrogation at his residence at Kalighat Road in South Kolkata, Banerjee started for Sonarpur from that residence.
His vehicle first faced protests in the midway at Kamal Gazi, when a group of women showed him black flags. But the real protest he faced was as soon as he reached Sonapur, as hundreds of local people, including women, first shouted slogans describing him as a “thief”.
In the meantime, Banerjee came out of his vehicle and got on a motorcycle of a local Trinamool Congress activist to reach the destination.
Soon, the protesters charged towards him. Some of the women protesters even physically assaulted and slapped him, while some of them threw eggs at him. His shirt was torn by some protesters.
After being hit by a couple of eggs hurled at him, the Trinamool Congress MP quickly put on a cricket helmet to save his head. Even some stones were hurled towards him, which fortunately missed him.
“I came to meet our party worker, Sanju Karmakar, who was reportedly a victim of post-poll violence, and I faced such things. Because of the helmet, my head somehow got saved. This was the handiwork of the Bharatiya Janata Party-backed goons. Is democracy at all prevailing in West Bengal? Surprisingly, the police were not seen anywhere near while I was attacked. It is not even a month since the new government in West Bengal has taken charge, and this is the situation already,” he said.
He also stated that he will move to the Calcutta High Court in the matter and inform West Bengal Governor R.N. Ravi of the entire incident.
After remaining homebound since the election results of the Assembly elections were declared on May 4, Banerjee came out for his first public programmes on Saturday.
Earlier in the day, he visited Beliaghata in North Kolkata to meet another party worker, who also reportedly became the victim of the post-poll violence.
In the afternoon, he received notice from the CID at his residence in Kalighat, South Kolkata. Thereafter, he reached Sonarpur, where he was heckled by the local protesters.
(IANS)
