Banerjee, who was not injured, said the assault on Sunday afternoon could have killed her if a large stone or brick had struck her directly. Protesters surrounded her white sport utility vehicle, shouted slogans and hurled objects as security personnel attempted to clear a passage through the crowd.
The Trinamool Congress chief accused the BJP of orchestrating the incident and questioned the security arrangements made for her visit. She said the police had been informed beforehand but had failed to prevent protesters from approaching the vehicle.
Banerjee had travelled to Pramodnagar in Halisahar to meet the family of Birju Keot, a Trinamool worker who died after being taken into police custody. Keot was the husband of Jenny Sharma Keot, a former councillor of the Trinamool-led Kanchrapara municipality. His death has become another political flashpoint between the former ruling party and the BJP administration.
Video images from the area showed a crowd gathering around Banerjee’s convoy as police and security personnel sought to control the situation. Protesters raised slogans accusing her of corruption and demanding that she leave the locality. Some participants said they were local residents angry that Banerjee had not visited them while she was chief minister.
No party flags were visible among sections of the crowd, complicating competing claims over who organised or participated in the demonstration.
Banerjee said large bricks were among the objects thrown at the car. She alleged that police personnel remained ineffective while the confrontation unfolded and said she would pursue legal action over the episode. She also blamed Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s government for failing to provide adequate protection.
Adhikari rejected the allegation that BJP workers were behind the attack. He said police had provided Banerjee with security and argued that there was no visible evidence linking the demonstrators to his party. The chief minister also criticised Banerjee’s visit as politically motivated while maintaining that she should receive protection appropriate for a former chief minister.
Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya condemned the throwing of shoes and stones while denying any organisational role for the party. He said people had the democratic right to protest, shout slogans or display black flags but should not physically attack a political leader’s vehicle.
Urban Development Minister Agnimitra Paul also criticised the attack and said anyone claiming to have acted in the BJP’s name should face punishment. Her remarks underscored an effort by the ruling party to distance itself from the violence while continuing its political criticism of Banerjee.
Trinamool leaders described the episode in much stronger terms. Lok Sabha member Kalyan Banerjee alleged that the confrontation amounted to a conspiracy to murder the former chief minister and demanded accountability from senior police officials. Rajya Sabha member Dola Sen was also accompanying Banerjee during the visit.
The clash followed Keot’s death after his arrest by Halisahar police. Police said he had been detained in connection with allegations including cheating, assault and offences involving a woman, and had been remanded in police custody. He became unwell while detained and was taken to Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Hospital in Kalyani, where doctors declared him dead.
Keot’s wife has alleged that he was assaulted inside the police station and said she saw injury marks on his body. Police have not accepted that allegation as the cause of death. A departmental inquiry has been initiated, while authorities are awaiting the post-mortem findings. A judicial inquiry has also been ordered into the circumstances surrounding the custodial death.
The Halisahar confrontation comes amid heightened political hostility following the May Assembly election, when the BJP ended Trinamool’s 15-year rule and Adhikari defeated Banerjee in Bhabanipur. Senior Trinamool figures have since encountered hostile demonstrations during visits to different parts of the state.
(IPA Service)
