Kolkata, Sept. 27 -- Mamata-All India Trinamool Congress (MAITC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee sought Governor R N Ravi's intervention after Beleghata MLA Kunal Ghosh alleged that he was attacked for the third consecutive day, with armed assailants allegedly following him and targeting his car in his constituency on Sunday.
Banerjee urged the Governor to speak to the Director General of West Bengal Police and the Kolkata Police Commissioner and ensure that those responsible are identified and brought to justice.
Ghosh alleged that a group of motorcycle-borne men followed him after he left his residence for a programme in Beleghata on Sunday morning. He claimed the men surrounded his car near Phoolbagan and attacked it with hammers, while one person allegedly pointed a firearm at him. His security personnel, he said, were forced to draw their service revolver as the situation escalated. Ghosh's driver then took the vehicle to Narkeldanga police station, where the MLA sought shelter.
Ghosh alleged that the attackers were trying to kill him and claimed that some of them had been identified. He said their names would be handed over to the police, though he alleged police have been mostly inactive regarding the attacks.
The MLA also questioned why action had not been taken against those he had identified following Saturday's alleged attack in Uttarpara, where his car was targeted while he was travelling to attend Mamata Banerjee's meeting in Serampore.
Abhishek alleged that an elected representative was being targeted because he had refused to change sides. "Political violence, irrespective of who is behind it, has no place in a democracy," he said, while calling for an end to intimidation.
The BJP rejected the allegations.Minister Agnimitra Paul also dismissed Ghosh's allegations, saying that such claims were made frequently and that people no longer took them seriously. Party spokesperson Debjit Sarkar attributed the incident to factionalism within the Trinamool and denied BJP involvement.
Ghosh, however, alleged that the BJP was behind the attacks and questioned how the party could deny involvement when he had posted photographs showing some of the alleged attackers with BJP leaders.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.