Kolkata, Aug 10:
Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee faced a hostile reception at Halisahar in North 24 Parganas district on Sunday when protesters surrounded her vehicle, shouted ‘chor’ (thief) and ‘dakait rani’ (queen of thieves) slogans, and allegedly hurled mud, slippers and stones at her car as she went to meet the family of a deceased TMC worker.
Banerjee, who was visiting the family of a TMC worker who allegedly died in police custody, was forced to pass through a police cordon as the demonstration briefly turned the road into a charged political theatre, with the rival sides trading allegations of conspiracy, provocation and administrative failure.
“My car has been attacked with stones, shoes and mud. This is nothing but a conspiracy. I had informed the police that I would be coming, but despite that, no security measures were taken,” Banerjee told reporters after reaching the area.
The former chief minister alleged that large bricks were also thrown at her vehicle.
“My head could have been smashed. I could have died here,” she said, accusing the BJP-led state government of using “goons” to target her.
Banerjee also trained her guns on Chief Minister and Home Minister Suvendu Adhikari, saying she had no particular anger against the police but alleging that the force was being used at the behest of the state government.
“The police are protecting the lumpens. Bengal has gone into the hands of lumpens,” she said, adding that her party would pursue the matter legally.
The BJP, however, accused Banerjee of coming to Kanchrapara to “provoke” tensions and said local people had protested against her presence.
The confrontation added a new edge to the increasingly adversarial political atmosphere in West Bengal, where Banerjee and senior TMC leaders have faced public protests during recent visits.
The latest incident came two months after Banerjee faced “chor-chor” slogans outside the Calcutta High Court in June as she emerged from the premises.
Her nephew and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee too encountered a hostile reception during a visit to Sonarpur the same month, when protesters allegedly pelted his convoy with eggs and raised similar slogans.