KOLKATA, November 7 (Aalimi Nation) – All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said on Saturday that his Kolkata residence was attacked by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers late on Friday night. The allegation has not been independently confirmed, and no response from the police or the BJP was available.
In a post on X, Banerjee said his house had been attacked "at 2 AM by BJP goons", and that it happened "right under the watch of the Kolkata police". He said he would upload videos of the incident. He described it as "the seventh attempt on my life in the last six months".
Banerjee also criticised the judiciary. Addressing the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court, he wrote: "Thank you, Milords, for remaining mute spectators!"
The claim follows another made on Friday, when Banerjee said unidentified individuals had been conducting what he called reconnaissance of his office and residence for two days. According to him, they said they were police personnel when confronted. He also cited a motorcycle registration number in his post.
Banerjee, who is a member of Parliament, questioned why the State Police would be keeping watch on the home of an elected MP, and asked who had authorised it. He sought an immediate and thorough inquiry into who the individuals were, who sent them and what their motive was. He tagged the Lok Sabha Speaker, Kolkata Police, the Union Home Ministry and West Bengal Police in his post.
West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh dismissed the allegations. Asked about them, he said: "This is the first time we've seen a politician's birthday being celebrated on the footpath." He also asked: "who has the time to kill Abhishek Banerjee?" Ghosh said the claims were an attempt to mislead people. He added that any disturbance would invite a backlash.
The remarks suggest the two sides see the episode very differently. Banerjee's account describes a coordinated threat that he says the authorities have ignored, while Ghosh has portrayed it as a political claim without substance.
What remains unconfirmed
The reports available so far contain no statement from Kolkata Police, West Bengal Police or the Union Home Ministry on either the alleged surveillance or the alleged attack. There is also no independent confirmation of what took place outside the residence, no mention of any injuries, and no information about arrests or an official inquiry. The videos that Banerjee said he would share have not been independently verified.
Banerjee has asked the authorities named in his post to start an inquiry. Whether the police register a case, and what the footage shows, are likely to determine how the matter proceeds.
