The West Bengal police arrested five people in connection with the attack on Trinamool Congress leader and MP Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday (May 31, 2026), even as fellow Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee was mobbed in Hooghly district.
The veteran Trinamool leader claimed that he was hit on the head by an object and was then seen writhing in pain on the ground.
The Trinamool Congress chairperson said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi offered to help Mr. Abhishek Banerjee to get treatment at a hospital in Hyderabad.
“What happened to Abhishek Banerjee should not have happened.
No one has the right to take the law into their own hands,” BJP leader and State Minister Dilip Ghosh told reporters.
The West Bengal police arrested five people in connection with the attack on Trinamool Congress leader and MP Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday (May 31, 2026), even as fellow Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee was mobbed in Hooghly district. The Opposition party has claimed that miscreants backed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were behind both attacks.
According to police, the arrests in the Abhishek Banerjee attack case came after a suo motu FIR was registered by the Sonarpur police station, as no formal complaint was registered by the Trinamool leader himself. A few others were also detained in connection with the attack, after the police examined the footage of the attack on the MP.
‘Hit by hurled object’
In another development, Mr. Kalyan Banerjee was mobbed at Chanditala in Hooghly district by a group shouting slogans. The veteran Trinamool leader claimed that he was hit on the head by an object and was then seen writhing in pain on the ground.
“Just 15 metres away from Chanditala Police Station, while I was on my way to submit a deputation, BJP-backed miscreants launched a violent attack on me. A hard object was hurled directly at my head, causing injuries to my head and pain in my chest,” the Trinamool chief whip said in a social media post. “Yesterday it was @abhishekaitc, today it is me. Such attacks will not intimidate us or force us into silence,” he said, alleging that BJP supporters were behind the attack.
“We have always stood with the people and fought for their interests. We were on the streets yesterday, we are on the streets today, and we will remain there tomorrow—continuing our fight for the rights and welfare of ordinary citizens,” he said.
‘Hospitals pressurised to deny admission’
Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee has alleged that the hospitals were pressurised by police not to admit Mr. Abhishek Banerjee, who is her nephew. After a mob attacked him at Sonarpur, the Trinamool Congress general secretary was taken to two private hospitals in Kolkata and both the institutions refused admission to him on the grounds that the injuries were not serious in nature.
“The most disturbing aspect of today’s developments is the allegation that pressure was exerted on doctors and hospital authorities regarding the treatment of an injured patient. Doctors recommended tests, scans, and observation based on medical necessity. Decisions regarding admission, discharge, and treatment should be made solely by medical professionals and not by any political authority,” the former Chief Minister told journalists on Saturday (May 30, 2026) night.
Ms. Banerjee added that it was “not normal for a patient who has suffered injuries and undergone medical evaluation to face uncertainty regarding treatment and hospitalisation”.
In some videos shared on social media, Ms. Banerjee can be heard speaking to the CEO of a private hospital in an angry tone. The Trinamool Congress chairperson said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi offered to help Mr. Abhishek Banerjee to get treatment at a hospital in Hyderabad.
‘Some limits were respected’
The Trinamool Congress chairperson said that when she was in power, she had never allowed political opponents to be physically targeted in this manner.
“Differences existed, political battles existed, but some limits were respected. Ultimately, the people will answer. Today’s events are not the final chapter. Governments come and go, but democratic values must remain intact,” Ms. Banerjee said.
Since May 4, when the BJP came to power in West Bengal, there have been multiple instances of local and ward level leaders of the Trinamool Congress being assaulted by the public. The attack on the Trinamool general secretary came when he was visiting the residence of party worker Sanju Pramanik, who was allegedly killed in post poll violence. Both Ms. Banerjee and her nephew have held the BJP responsible for the attack.
‘Reflection of public anger’
BJP leaders, on the other hand, described the attack as a reflection of public anger towards the Trinamool Congress, even while condemning it.
“What happened to Abhishek Banerjee should not have happened. No one has the right to take the law into their own hands,” BJP leader and State Minister Dilip Ghosh told reporters. However, he said, the people of West Bengal had endured “harassment” under the TMC government over the past 15 years, adding that “the anger inside the public has to show up somewhere”.
