Car door injured Mamata Banerjee: Bengal's Chief Secretary in report
West Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay has submitted a report to the Election Commission in connection to Wednesday's Nandigram incident, which left Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee injured. In the report, the official said she was injured due to the car door. However, the report doesn't mention what led to the door slamming, reports India Today. Meanwhile, Banerjee has been discharged from the hospital.
Context: After filing nomination papers, Banerjee was injured
Banerjee got injured after filing her nomination from the Nandigram constituency. She had alleged four-five people pushed her just as she was boarding the car. Cutting her visit short, Banerjee had returned to Kolkata and was hospitalized. Subsequently, EC had sought a report. However, eyewitnesses had refuted Banerjee's claims, saying she was not pushed. Instead, they claimed people had gathered to see her.
Report mentioned the presence of a huge crowd
In the report, Chief Secretary Bandyopadhyay mentioned that a huge crowd had gathered on a road in Nandigram. The report also says that an iron pole was present not far from her car, but doesn't specify if the door closed after her leg brushed against the structure. EC has sought more details by today evening as the report wasn't comprehensive, reports PTI.
Officials have time till today to submit comprehensive report
Earlier, EC had sought a report from Bandyopadhyay, special observer Ajay Nayak, and special police observer Vivek Dube. As two observers were traveling, they sought time for submitting more details. Banerjee is said to have sustained injuries to her left leg and waist.
TMC MPs submitted letter to EC, cried conspiracy
Meanwhile, the battle between Trinamool Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) played out at EC yesterday. Six TMC MPs, including seniors like Prof. Sougata Ray, Derek O'Brien, and Kakoli Ghosh, submitted a letter to the polling body. "The events/actions leading up to the attempt on her life, leave no doubt that the attack was premeditated and part of a deep-rooted conspiracy," the letter read.
Eyewitnesses were planted, claimed TMC leaders
"To cover up the attack, eyewitnesses were planted. Illustratively eyewitnesses Chittaranjan Das and Debabrata Das, who testified that Ms. Banerjee's car was hit against an iron pillar are associates of Suvendu Adhikari, BJP's candidate from Nandigram, (sic)" the letter alleged.
BJP delegation also met EC officials, demanded impartial probe
A BJP delegation, consisting of Union Minister Piyush Goyal and party General Secretary Bhupender Yadav, also met EC officials yesterday, demanding an impartial probe into the incident. BJP asked EC to make the video of the Nandigram incident public, reports IE. The saffron party has also demanded that special observers must be appointed for Nandigram. Assembly elections will be held in Bengal in eight phases.
