Abhishek Banerjee to move court over attack in West Bengal

NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee will inform Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla about the mob attack on him in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district and will also move court in connection with the incident, news agency ANI reported citing party sources.The development comes after Abhishek Banerjee was attacked with bricks, stones and eggs while visiting families affected by post-poll violence in Sonarpur.The TMC national general secretary sustained injuries near his eye and accused the BJP of orchestrating the assault, alleging that there was an attempt on his life and that the police failed to provide adequate security.According to party sources, Banerjee will formally apprise Speaker Om Birla of the incident and seek legal recourse over the attack.Five people have been arrested in connection with the case and were produced before a court in Baruipur on Monday. The accused have been identified as Akash Gayen, Kajal Das, Debashish Dutta, Nirmalya Sengupta and Tapan Maiti.The issue has triggered a major political row in West Bengal, with the TMC alleging a pattern of attacks against its leaders. On Sunday, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee also claimed he was attacked near Chanditala Police Station in Hooghly district while on his way to submit a deputation regarding post-poll violence.Kalyan Banerjee alleged that BJP supporters hit him on the head during the incident, causing injuries. He later staged a protest outside the police station and described the attack as an 'attempt to murder' him. The BJP denied the allegations and claimed local residents were expressing anger against TMC leaders.Reacting to the attack on him, Abhishek Banerjee described the incident as 'political violence and state-sponsored terrorism' by the BJP. Thanking Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for expressing concern, he said opposition parties must remain united in defending democratic institutions and constitutional values."Thank you, Rahul ji, for your concern and constant support. We stand united and resolute in our fight to protect the soul of India, defend its democratic institutions and uphold the values enshrined in our Constitution," Banerjee said in a post on X.The BJP condemned the violence but maintained that the incidents reflected public anger against the TMC. West Bengal minister Dilip Ghosh said no one had the right to take the law into their own hands, while claiming that resentment against the TMC had been building among the public for years.