Mamata Banerjee hospitalized with injuries, eyewitnesses say 'she wasn't pushed'
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who alleged she was attacked by four-five people in Nandigram, has been admitted to the SSKM Hospital. A team, comprising five senior doctors, was formed to monitor her health. She will remain under observation for 48 hours. The preliminary report says she has injuries in her left ankle, foot, right shoulder, forearm, and neck. Here's what happened.
Banerjee claimed she was pushed by handful of people
Around 6:15 pm on Wednesday, when the CM was leaving the Birulia Bazar area near Reyapara, after praying at a local temple, she was allegedly attacked. Banerjee said a few people pushed her just as she was about to board her car. Her leg was trapped in the vehicle and she fell, the politician added. The injured CM cried conspiracy after the incident.
No administration was there to protect me: Banerjee
"Some people intentionally pushed me. No administration was there to protect me. The police superintendent was also not there. They basically came here to hurt me. I have decided to return to Kolkata right now," the TMC boss said last evening.
Eyewitness says no one pushed Banerjee
However, Banerjee's version of the incident was refuted by a few eyewitnesses. Soumen Maity, who was present at the spot, told news agency ANI, that people had gathered to see the leader. "When she was about to leave, there were people around there. But nobody pushed her. I am a student. I am not associated with any political party," Maity added.
Another eyewitness claimed no one was near her car
Similarly, another eyewitness added, "I was there. She was sitting inside the moving car and the door was open. The door closed after it touched a poster. Nobody pushed and hit her. There was no one near the door."
Subsequently, Banerjee's supporters shouted anti-BJP slogans; Governor faced resistance
The episode, unsurprisingly, sparked a political row. "Many people don't want her to campaign for the elections. That is why she has been attacked by goons," said state minister Subrata Mukherjee. Outside the hospital, a large number of supporters raised slogans against the rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). When Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar visited the hospital to check on Banerjee, he faced "go back" slogans.
Her nephew and TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee posted a picture
BJP refused to believe Banerjee was attacked
On the other hand, BJP claimed Banerjee was turning a "simple incident" into a "pre-planned conspiracy." "It can happen that she met with an accident but to claim that she was deliberately pushed is not acceptable. She has a lot of security personnel guarding her round the clock," said Kailash Vijayvargiya. Congress's Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury dubbed it a "siyasi pakhand."
EC has sought a report by tomorrow evening
Interestingly, Chowdhury's party colleague Manish Tewari condemned the attack. "Violence has no place in politics. Wish her a speedy recovery, (sic)" he tweeted. Banerjee also garnered support from politicians like Akhilesh Yadav (Samajwadi Party), Arvind Kejriwal (Aam Aadmi Party), and Tejashwi Yadav (Rashtriya Janata Dal). The Election Commission has sought a report on the incident by 5 pm tomorrow, IE reports quoting sources.
