'This is their example of democracy': TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee gets beaten up by locals in West Bengal's Sonarpur | Video
Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee was seen getting manhandled while he was visiting the family of a post-poll violence victim on Saturday. He later got out of the area wearing a police helmet.
TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee wears a helmet after stones, shoes and eggs were hurled at him during his visit to the families of post-poll violence victims, in Sonarpur, West Bengal. PTI
Trinamool Congress MP and general secretary Abhishek Banerjee was seen getting beaten up by locals during his visit to Sonarpur to meet the families of victims of the post-poll violence on Saturday. In addition, he was seen wearing a police helmet to protect himself from the crowd.
Stones, shoes and eggs were hurled at the TMC MP by unidentified people who even attempted to rain blows and kicks on him, while they shouted 'thief' slogans at Banerjee.
Banerjee was seen being escorted out of the area with a police helmet on and his shirt tattered.
Later, speaking to the press, he claimed that not one policeman was present at the site to provide protection to him. He said, "It's all BJP-sponsored. Look what they have done. This is their example of democracy. It hasn't even been a month, and the police are nowhere to be seen."
He further said, "This was pre-planned. There is no police in the area. They want to kill me. I will not leave this place till the local police send their force and offer protection to the victims' families."
Mamata Banerjee and others react
TMC supremo and former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday strongly condemned the attack on party national general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee at Sonarpur, alleging that the BJP was behind the incident. Reacting to the incident, Mamata Banerjee posted on X, "RULERS BECAME KILLERS - shame on you BJP."
Reacting to the alleged attack on Abhishek Banerjee in Sonarpur, Rahul Gandhi described the incident as "utterly reprehensible". He said such acts target not just an individual parliamentarian but also undermine the mandate of the people and the spirit of democracy.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge also denounced the incident. "Strongly condemn the shocking attack on MP Shri Abhishek Banerjee in Sonarpur, as he went to meet the families affected by post-poll violence in the state," Kharge said in a post on X.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also condemned the attack and alleged that the BJP government in the state was responsible for the deteriorating law-and-order situation. "By orchestrating a murderous attack on Shri Abhishek Banerjee ji, a key leader of the Trinamool Congress in Bengal, the anarchic BJP government in Bengal has proven that the BJP is capable of nothing but hate-filled, negative, violent politics," Yadav said in a post on X.
For breaking news and live news updates, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Read more on Latest India News on India.com.