'They want to kill me': Eggs, stones hurled at Abhishek Banerjee during visit to post-poll violence victims' families in Bengal

While visiting families of post-poll violence victims in West Bengal's Sonarpur area, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee was roughed up on Saturday allegedly by locals.

Amid a chorus of 'thief' slogans hurled at Banerjee, the TMC MP was attacked with stones, shoes and eggs. Many even attempted to rain blows and kicks on him.

"Look what they have done to me. This was pre-planned. There is no police in the area. They want to kill me. I will not leave this place till the local police send their force and offer protection to the victims' families," Banerjee said while meeting the family of a deceased post-poll violence victim.

Speaking to ANI , he said, "It's all BJP-sponsored. Look what they have done. This is their example of democracy. It hasn't even been a month, and the police are nowhere to be seen."

Banerjee was seen being escorted out of the area with a police helmet on and his shirt tattered.

The attack, led mostly by local women in the Kamrabad area falling under ward 9 of Rajpur-Sonarpur municipality, was, allegedly an explosion of the pent-up anger accrued on account of years of "torture perpetrated by TMC-run syndicates and extortion rackets" and abject lack of governance leading to broken roads, clogged drains and poor drinking water supply.

Banerjee's alleged "veiled threats" during his pre-election campaigns also led to the violent repercussions, locals claimed.

Banerjee, who was trying to enter the area pillion riding on a motorcycle, was forced to disembark from the vehicle when agitated locals gathered around it, shouting slogans and pelting shoes and eggs at him.

Despite the resistance, the MP chose to reach his destination, about a kilometre away, on foot, when the situation turned even more chaotic with hundreds of agitated locals trying to block his move with violent means.

"They wanted to kill me. The whole incident has been captured on camera. We will definitely let the high court know about this. We will also let the governor know about this. I will definitely move court," Banerjee said while meeting the kin of Sanju Karmakar, who allegedly died in post-poll violence.

Claiming there was no police presence at the spot when he was attacked, said he won't leave the area until police arrive.

"I will not abandon Sanju's elderly parents in this condition until additional forces arrive. I will once again ask our workers to contact the police," he said.

Local women, holding broomsticks and bamboo sticks, gathered outside the house of the TMC party worker Banerjee visited.

Questioning the purpose of his visit, they raised slogans against Banerjee.

"Why has he come here? The person whose house he has come to visit is also a thief. It is like a thief visiting another thief," one of the protesting women alleged.

"Where was he (Abhishek) when the Abhaya incident (RG Kar rape and murder) happened? How many times had he gone to meet the parents of Abhaya? We want an answer from him," another protesting woman said.

Another protestor said that Banerjee "had it coming" since the day he issued "veiled threats" from pre-election rallies.

"He had said from campaign stages that he would play DJ music from May 4 after results were declared and no father-figure from Delhi would come to protect us. That's why we have gathered here today to pay him back in his own coin," he said.

A large contingent of district police from the local Sonarpur police station, accompanied by armed central forces, later reached the spot.

They escorted the TMC leader out of the area, even as women were seen standing on rooftops and raising slogans against Banerjee.

Banerjee was later briefly admitted to a private hospital in Kolkata from where he was discharged following primary medical attention.

(with PTI inputs)