‘BJP murdering democracy’: Mamata Banerjee after back-to-back assaults on Abhishek and Kalyan Banerjee

Chanditala (Hooghly): Trinamool chief and former CM Mamata Banerjee on Sunday accused BJP of "murdering democracy" after her party's Lok Sabha chief whip Kalyan Banerjee suffered head injuries in an assault during a protest near Chanditala police station.

Serampore MP Kalyan was walking along Ahilyabai Road toward the police station to submit a memorandum protesting Saturday's assault on Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee when a group of people showed him black flags and called him a "thief". The MP claimed he was struck by a projectile, causing a bleeding head wound. Holding a cloth to the back of his head, he fell on the road and later staged a dharna outside the police station, accusing cops of inaction.

"All this happened in front of the police. I was hit in the head, and I am bleeding," Kalyan told reporters while claiming that a CRPF jawan had saved his life.

On X, Mamata wrote: "Yesterday, BJP supporters brutally attacked Trinamool Lok Sabha floor leader Abhishek Banerjee. The terrifying videos are in the public domain. Today, our chief whip in the Lok Sabha, Kalyan Banerjee, was also a victim of a planned BJP attack. BJP is murdering democracy."

BJP supporters present at the Chanditala spot, however, rubbished the allegation of a planned assault, calling it a spontaneous expression of public anger against TMC netas. Police registered a case against 10 to 15 unidentified persons relevant sections of the BNS.