Trinamool MLAs Stage Protest In Bengal Assembly Over Attack On Mamata Banerjee

Trinamool Congress MLAs staged a protest inside the West Bengal Legislative Assembly on Monday over an alleged attack on former Chief Minister and party chief Mamata Banerjee in Halisahar, North 24 Parganas, on Sunday. The legislators raised slogans against the BJP-led government and the police administration, demanding action over the incident.

The protest was led by senior Trinamool Congress leaders including Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, Kunal Ghosh, Biman Banerjee and Nayna Bandyopadhyay. The MLAs carried banners and posters condemning the alleged attack and also raised the issue of the custodial death of Trinamool Congress worker Birju Keot in Halisahar.

The party has also planned protest rallies across West Bengal on Monday. According to a Trinamool Congress insider, demonstrations will be organised at the block level as the party seeks to intensify its campaign over the incidents in Halisahar. The party has demanded justice for Banerjee and accountability over the death of the Trinamool worker in police custody.

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Keot, the husband of a former Trinamool Congress councillor of Kanchrapara Municipality's Ward 23, had been arrested by Halisahar police on various charges, including extortion. He was produced before a court on Friday, which granted five days of police custody. His death in custody was subsequently reported, with his wife alleging that he had been beaten by police personnel inside the lock-up.

Banerjee visited Kanchrapara on Sunday to meet Keot's family and was accompanied by Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee and Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen. During the visit, her convoy encountered protests. The Trinamool Congress alleged that objects including shoes and mud were thrown at her vehicle, while Banerjee accused BJP-backed miscreants of being responsible.

Banerjee also alleged that bricks and stones were thrown at her car during the incident. She maintained that the attack could have caused serious injury had the vehicle's windows been open. The BJP's alleged involvement in the incident remains an accusation by the Trinamool Congress, while the party's planned statewide protests are expected to keep the issue at the centre of political activity in West Bengal.

Also Read: Mamata Banerjee Alleges Attack On Car Near Kolkata, Says "Could Have Died"