Trinamool Congress MLA Kunal Ghosh on Sunday alleged that masked men on motorcycles attacked his car in Kolkata's Beleghata, a day after his vehicle was allegedly targeted with eggs and stones in Uttarpara while he was travelling to a rally addressed by party chief Mamata Banerjee.
Ghosh, who belongs to Mamata Banerjee's faction of the Trinamool Congress, said the latest incident took place while he was on his way to attend a political programme in his constituency. He alleged that the men chased his vehicle and smashed its windows using a revolver and a hammer.
“Attack on me yesterday in Uttarpara was not enough. Today I am convinced that there are attempts to kill me,” Ghosh told reporters after the alleged incident.
Ghosh alleges armed men chased his car
According to Ghosh, the men on motorcycles followed his car after he left his home and attacked the vehicle while he was travelling towards the programme in Beleghata.
He alleged that the attackers used a revolver and a hammer to break the windows of the car. Ghosh described Sunday's incident as the second attack on him in less than 18 hours.
The allegation follows Saturday's confrontation in Uttarpara, Hooghly, where a group stopped Ghosh's car as he was travelling to Serampore to attend Mamata Banerjee's public meeting.
Videos from the Saturday incident showed people surrounding the vehicle and throwing eggs and stones at it. The rear windscreen was damaged and Ghosh was forced to return to Kolkata instead of continuing to the rally. Reports also said some protesters were carrying black flags and raising slogans against him.
Ghosh had alleged after Saturday's incident that BJP workers were behind the attack. The BJP rejected the allegation, while police had not established responsibility for the incident.
Abhishek Banerjee seeks action against attackers
Trinamool national general secretary and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee condemned what he described as the second attack on Ghosh.
“This is the second time in less than 18 hours that he has been attacked. Armed goons have targeted and harassed an elected representative, allegedly because he has refused to change sides,” Banerjee said in a post on X.
He appealed to West Bengal Governor RN Ravi to intervene and speak to the Director General of Police and the Kolkata Police commissioner.
“Every perpetrator must be identified and brought to justice and this cycle of violence and intimidation must stop,” Banerjee said.
The latest allegations come after a series of confrontations involving Trinamool leaders following the party's defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections in May.
Several leaders from Mamata Banerjee's camp have alleged that they were targeted after the election. They have blamed the BJP for such incidents, while the BJP and its leaders have described some of the attacks as expressions of public anger against Trinamool leaders whom they accuse of corruption.
Earlier Uttarpara incident triggered political blame game
Saturday's incident in Uttarpara prompted competing allegations from the two political camps.
Ghosh had said a mob armed with sticks and rods surrounded his car, blocked his route and threw eggs and stones at the vehicle. The attack damaged the windscreen and forced him to abandon his journey to Serampore.
Mamata Banerjee also condemned the incident and accused BJP workers of blocking roads and preventing people from attending her rally. The BJP, however, denied involvement and attributed the incident to public anger and Trinamool's internal political differences.
Police said they had begun an investigation into Saturday's incident. A senior officer of the Chandannagar police commissionerate was quoted as saying the preliminary assessment was that it involved a minor blockade, while officers were checking the identities and affiliations of those involved.
The incidents involving Ghosh follow an earlier egg attack on him outside Mamata Banerjee's Kalighat residence in June. Kolkata Police subsequently arrested two men in connection with that case after Ghosh filed a complaint.
Responsibility for Sunday's alleged attack on Ghosh's vehicle had not been independently established in the reports available at the time of publication.