Kolkata: Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee’s home witnessed several rounds of vandalism and violence during the early hours of Saturday — the neta’s 39th birthday — leaving supporters of both parties and police personnel injured. While Abhishek and former chief minister Mamata Banerjee blamed BJP for the attack in chief minister Suvendu Adhikari’s constituency, netas of the party in office argued that Abhishek should not have disturbed local residents with late-night celebrations.No arrests have been made.The confrontation began around midnight when TMC supporters started putting up congratulatory banners and photographs of Abhishek on pavement railings outside his residence to mark the MP’s birthday, as they do every year. Suspected BJP supporters who had arrived in the area to collect a Kali idol reportedly began tearing down the birthday banners and chanting “chor (thief),” sparking a clash that left members of both factions and several cops injured.As Abhishek stepped outside to meet his injured supporters, another round of sloganeering broke out. By then, additional police personnel had been deployed to the area. Abhishek staged a sit-in on the pavement with party workers and engaged in a heated exchange with officers, alleging that the violence had unfolded in their presence. He eventually returned inside around 7 am.“Between 1.30am and 7am, BJP men went on a rampage outside my home in multiple phases. This was the seventh attempt on my life in the last six months. For the past two days, some cops and unidentified men have been doing a recce of my house. There has been no police action and no judicial intervention, despite my complaints. Hooligans are running riot across the state because the judiciary continues to turn a blind eye,” Abhishek said.Mamata arrived at Abhishek’s house on Saturday morning and demanded the resignation of Kolkata Police commissioner Ajay Nand. “I openly challenge those responsible to come forward and face me. BJP leaders are organising ‘Gonotantra Bachao’ rallies… but they are the ones tearing democracy apart,” she said.Asked about the incident, chief minister Suvendu Adhikari told reporters: “Let’s not speak about land mafia on the auspicious occasion of Kali Puja.”He later added: “If anyone touches the police or if blood is spilled—whoever it may be—they will have to remain in jail. If police properties are damaged, we will recover three times the amount.”State panchayat minister Dilip Ghosh remarked, “Why is such a prominent neta celebrating his birthday on the footpath? This is an old tactic to win public sympathy.”Urban development minister Agnimitra Paul said, “People protested because the celebrations disturbed their sleep. Why not celebrate your birthday inside your home?” BJP MP Rahul Sinha claimed the incident was an outburst of public anger against the Trinamool leadership.With police enforcing prohibitory orders in the area, the standoff spilled into the morning. When TMC supporters arrived to greet Abhishek and attempted to cut a cake on the street, police dispersed them. Abhishek then invited the supporters inside his residence.Later that morning, Abhishek posted two videos of the incident on social media, drawing the attention of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Union Ministry of Home Affairs. In one clip, a man is seen striking the front gate with a bamboo stick; the other shows a group hurling projectiles onto the premises. Abhishek identified another individual in the footage as the son of a prominent BJP functionary, questioning why no arrests had been made.Police said they have registered a case and are working to identify the attackers.Accusing the police of turning a blind eye to the vandalism, Mamata alleged that authorities had allowed a Kali Puja to block the street leading to her house in order to prevent visitors from reaching the puja at her Harish Chatterjee Street residence.“How many bulldozers do you have? Bring them all. Run your bulldozers over my body. I want to see how far you can go,” she said.Beleghata MLA and Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh alleged that several former TMC members who defected to BJP following TMC’s electoral defeat orchestrated the violence.Trinamool counsel Arka Nag stated that repeated violence in the chief minister’s own constituency highlights a complete collapse of law and order, sarcastically suggesting a President’s Police Medal for Nand “for his extraordinary ability to allow such incidents to take place in Kalighat, Camac Street, and Chorbagan.”
