Mamata out of hospital amid political slugfest

A senior police official said on condition of anonymity that the state government report suggested the chief minister was standing on the footboard of the vehicle and something made the door of the car close and injure the 66-year-old.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee was discharged from hospital on Friday, two days after she was injured at an event in Nandigram, as her protégé-turned-rival Suvendu Adhikari filed his nomination as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from the seat, setting the stage for a prestige fight in the south Bengal constituency.

Banerjee’s injury continued to dominate politics in the poll-bound state. (AP)

Banerjee’s injury continued to dominate politics in the poll-bound state. The Trinamool Congress and BJP met the election commission separately, and two reports on the Wednesday incident — one by the state chief secretary and another by poll observers — were submitted to the poll watchdog.

A senior police official said on condition of anonymity that the state government report suggested the chief minister was standing on the footboard of the vehicle and something made the door of the car close and injure the 66-year-old. The report didn’t specifically mention what made the door close, said the officer.

Banerjee, who sustained bone injuries in her left ankle and foot, was allowed to go home at her insistence but will have to obey restrictions on movement, said doctors. Around 7.30pm, she was wheeled out of the hospital in a wheelchair and is unlikely to hit the campaign trail before Monday.

“She would be able to move around with certain ‘non weight-bearing’ restrictions, which she has been explained. She has agreed to abide by all those restrictions,” said Monimoy Banerjee, director of the state-run SSKM Hospital.

Earlier in the day, Adhikari, the incumbent legislator from Nandigram, filed his nomination for the March 1 poll but steered clear of commenting on Banerjee’s injury. He was flanked by two central ministers, Smriti Irani and Dharmendra Pradhan.

“Only the BJP can return you your money by selling off the assets, which the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized, once it comes to power. No one else will be able to give you the money back,” he told a rally, referring to ongoing probes in chit fund scams in the state.

The TMC, however, hit back and said the BJP was making false promises. “Two central agencies have been investigating the cases since 2013-14. How can he say that if the BJP comes to power, it would return the money by selling off the assets seized by central agencies?” TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh asked.

The TMC held silent protests across the state and held rallies in support of Banerjee, who is seeking a third consecutive term in the eight-phase polls starting March 27. “The game is on. A wounded tigress is more aggressive,” said state minister Firhad Hakim.

A five-member TMC delegation met election commission officials in Delhi for an hour and submitted a memorandum. “Injuries to Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram were not a result of an unfortunate incident but that of a conspiracy. The events leading up to the attempt on her life leave no doubt that the attack was part of a deep-rooted conspiracy,” TMC MP Saugata Roy told reporters.

Hours later, a BJP delegation met EC and demanded a probe. “The party also requested the election commission to make public the video of Banerjee’s rally in which she got injured,” said party general secretary Bhupender Yadav.

On Wednesday, Banerjee alleged she was attacked by four-five men without any police presence at the spot, prompting EC to seek a report. “EC directed us to submit the report by 5pm. It has reached by 5pm. It is a confidential report, the details of which can’t be shared,” said Alapan Bandopadhyay, chief secretary of West Bengal.

The report suggested that some people managed to get close to the chief minister but didn’t specify the exact sequence of events, said the police officer quoted above.

“There were frequent changes in the chief minister’s plans as a result of which last-minute security arrangements had to be made. But it is not true that there were no police personnel at the spot,” said the officer, requesting anonymity.

A section of eyewitnesses claim the CM was standing on the footboard when the vehicle’s door hit an iron pillar jutting out of the road, injuring the leader. This theory was rubbished by TMC leaders, who said there were no scratches or dents on the car.

Two EC appointed observers – Ajay V Nayak and Vivek Dubey — went to Nandigram on Friday and spoke to senior officials. A poll panel official said the observers sent their reports to Delhi. A virtual meeting was likely to be held between EC officials in Delhi and the observers on Friday evening.

In Kolkata, the six-member medical board that treated Banerjee wanted to keep her under observation for another 48 hours. “But due to her repeated requests she was released with appropriate advice and instructions,” said Monimoy Banerjee. Doctors said she was told about the dos and don’ts and the medical board would re-examine her after a week.

The plaster on her left leg was removed in the morning to examine the injury. The medical board found satisfactory improvement. “The size of the hematoma has diminished considerably. The bony injury in her ankle has also shown marked sign of improvement. New plaster slab has been done,” Monimoy Banerjee added.