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Mamata injury draws new Bengal battle line
Doctors in Kolkata said Banerjee, 66, suffered severe “bony injuries” in her left ankle and foot, besides injuries in right shoulder, forearm and neck.
A political row escalated on Thursday over injuries sustained by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee during a public interaction in Nandigram as the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) traded charges, and large-scale protests rocked the poll-bound state.
Doctors in Kolkata said Banerjee, 66, suffered severe “bony injuries” in her left ankle and foot, besides injuries in right shoulder, forearm and neck. Her supporters blocked roads, burnt tyres and performed prayers in temples and mosques across the state. In several districts, clashes were reported between BJP and TMC workers.
Banerjee went to the high-profile seat of Nandigram on Wednesday to file her nomination but, in the evening, alleged that some people deliberately attacked and injured her. A preliminary investigation by the police and a section of the eyewitnesses hinted that the injuries may be the result of an accident, and not a deliberate conspiracy.
The issue quickly snowballed into a political slugfest with the state’s ruling party blaming the BJP for the injuries and the latter accusing Banerjee of orchestrating the incident for sympathy.
Images of Banerjee being carried by her security personnel and later, lying on a hospital bed with her leg in a plaster, dominated the airwaves and popular discussion, roughly three weeks before elections kick off for the 294-member assembly.
“I appeal to my party cadres, supporters, activists and common people to maintain peace and calm. It is true that I was badly hurt last night and felt severe pain in the chest and head… I hope to be back on the field in the next few days,” Banerjee said in a video message filmed from her hospital bed in a government-run facility in Kolkata. Banerjee, who is seeking a third consecutive term as chief minister, said she would not cancel any scheduled meetings and use a wheelchair if needed. She didn’t repeat her allegation that four-five men had deliberately attacked her.
The TMC said it will hold silent protest across the state and wear black bands to condemn the incident. “The only woman chief minister in the country was injured and attacked. The Prime Minister and the Union home minister, however, didn’t show the courtesy to call up. We condemn this,” said Saugata Roy, TMC parliamentarian.
Other TMC leaders invoked previous attacks on Banerjee – the politician popularly known as didi was hit on the head during a rally in 1990 and images of her bloodied body made her a national figure – and it will be a major campaign issue.
The BJP condemned the TMC’s stance and sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe. The party, which is looking to dislodge the TMC and come to power for the first time in the state, demanded that pictures of the incident be made public.
“Even our workers had sustained injuries. They underwent treatment and then returned to give a befitting a reply. They didn’t stage any drama. But she doesn’t have the strength to give a befitting reply anymore and hence only staging a drama. She has done PhD in drama,” Dilip Ghosh, state BJP president, told reporters.
Later in the evening, however, BJP leaders said that they would not indulge in any politics over her injuries. “We will not do any kind of politics over the chief minister’s injuries. We pray for her early recovery and return to the political stage,” BJP spokesman Samik Bhattacharya told reporters.
Both the TMC and the BJP separately approached the election commission, which has ordered a probe into the incident and is expecting a report from local authorities on Friday.
“No one has been arrested till Thursday evening. So far, we have not found anything which could suggest that it was a deliberate attempt or a conspiracy. But investigation is still going on based on a complaint we have received,” said a senior police official of East Midnapore district.
Some eyewitnesses suggested that the TMC supremo was injured when her white SUV hit an iron pillar jutting out of the road. “When Banerjee saw the crowd gathered on both sides of the road at Birulia Bazar in Nandigram, she half opened the front door and stood on the car. She was holding the car with one hand and was waving the other hand. The car, hit an iron pillar and the door closed with a bang. Banerjee got injured,” said Animesh Das, a local resident.
In Kolkata, TMC supporters thronged the premises of the hospital where Banerjee is admitted. The six member medical board treating her was yet to take a decision on her discharge but said she was stable.
“She has bony injury in her left ankle and has been plastered. She has frontal headache. Further investigation has been prescribed. Her sodium level is low,” hospital authorities said in a medical bulletin.
Doctors said her condition would be examined again on Friday. “We are going for further radiological investigations such as XRay and CT Scan. The same treatment, which was started yesterday, is going on. In addition she would be given medicines for low sodium level,” said hospital authorities.
Banerjee is facing one of the toughest elections of her career. A surging BJP is aiming to build on its impressive Lok Sabha performance – it won 18 of the 42 seats, its best performance – and more than 30 sitting and former lawmakers have deserted the party since 2019.
The biggest switch has been that of Banerjee’s protégé-turned-rival Suvendu Adhikari, who is now leading the BJP’s campaign and is expected to be the party’s candidate in Nandigram, his home turf.
Banerjee has raised the stakes by deciding to shift from her traditional south Kolkata seat to take on Adhikari in Nandigram.
