Things went out of control in Sonarpur this Saturday. It was to have been a regular political visit. Trinamool Congress (TMC) general secretary Abhishek Banerjee visited South 24 Parganas to visit a few grieving families. He wished to go to Sanju Karmakar’s house. Sanju was dead. He was one of the local party workers who fell during the recent post poll violence. Abhishek expressed his condolences to the family. It was a close one to get out alive
Suddenly there was a mob around his group. They didn’t merely yell out slogans. They went off on a rampage quickly. People threw stones. Eggs and shoes were thrown at him. The spectators screamed “thief, thief”, and pushed their way closer to the politician. The scene was a wild one. According to witnesses on the scene, it was several people who actually attempted to grab him and beat him up with their fists.
The Escape under a Police Helmet.
The videos circulating social media will tell you just how bad it got. Abhishek’s shirt was completely torn from the scuffle. His security guard was overwhelmed by the people that were swarming around him. Their reaction time was critical to save them from a tragedy.
The guards took a heavy police helmet and pinned it on his head to keep him from being hit in the head by the rocks in flight. He was dragged out of the mob by them. He looked visibly shaken when he finally got to safety. Later, he spoke with the media and was unabashed. He said that they wanted to wipe him out. He pointed fingers at the BJP directly stating that the entire attack was sponsored by the BJP. He also said it had recorded all the details and he will go to the High Court and state governor with it
Mamata Advocates for serious charges.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is in a rage. This isn’t a mere political battle for her. She went online and posted that rulers have become killers. She is putting pressure on the authorities that the attackers get harsh jail time. She has expressed her concern over this as an assassination attempt. She is hoping that the police will file an attempt to murder case against the accused.
She told the media that her nephew would have died on the spot, if it hadn’t been for that police helmet. She described it as a “total violation of security” and “a killing of democracy in the literal sense. She suspects that the police knew in advance Abhishek was travelling, and did not secure the area. In her view, it was his people who attacked him; they were hired to do harm.
The Hospital Transfer Drama
Immediately, after Abhishek got away, they rushed him to a private hospital. However, the action on the night of the clinic was not confined to the doors of the clinic. Mamata Banerjee reached the hospital, and subsequently made some explosive statements on what went on inside. She had reported to the hospital administration that they were receiving threat calls as she was sitting in the office.
She alleged that BJP leaders and a senior police officer, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (South division) were demanding that the hospital release Abhishek. She put a very simple question. Why were doctors putting him in the Intensive Treatment Unit if he’s in good condition? She said she felt the hospital was being bullied into minimizing his injuries, so the attackers wouldn’t face harsher criminal charges
Home Medical Set-Up.
Mamata wouldn’t allow him to be left out of her sight, where she felt he wasn’t safe. She carried him out of Apollo Hospital, and to Bellevue Hospital for further examination. Afterwards they decided to take him home.
But his house isn’t a normal house these days. They converted it into a makeshift medical ward. Oxygen cylinders were transported in. In his room there are various medical machines. A family physician is there to keep an eye on him at all times. Mamata told reporters that Abhishek has blood clots in his body due to the physical beating. She also gave a dire warning. If at any time there is an impact on his health, the hospitals will be fully accountable to let him go under political pressure, she said.
The leaders of Delhi meet.Leaders of Delhi meet to check in.
This attack was soon made national news. The opposition players began making their calls on Kolkata. Rahul Gandhi called up Banerjee to know how Abhishek was doing. He even said he’d try to get him medically transported to Hyderabad to get the better of him, if it got complicated. There were also calls from Kapil Sibal and Akhilesh Yadav to show concern about the violence.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge released a strong statement. He claimed that if a big opposition leader cannot be protected by police then it’s a very dark style of politics. This was echoed by Akhilesh Yadav. His comment on the lack of security in such a tense area was apparently a “conspiracy,” he said. Derek O’Brien, Trinamool Congress leader, took to social media and questioned the police as to where they were hiding. He asked why the security of Abhishek had been suddenly lowered just as the counting of votes was taking place.
The BJP has denied any involvement.
The BJP is completely rejecting the accusations. They claim that they were not involved in stones or mob. State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya gave a totally different reason for the violence. The attackers were just local people,” he said.
His account of it is that people there have been subjected to a lot of harassment by the local TMC leaders. He said that the victims just lost their cool when Abhishek arrived in their neighborhood. In the BJP’s version, it was an expression of the people’s anger and frustration – not a carefully orchestrated political attack.
