Woman detained over alleged knife attack on Mamata

A woman was detained after a confrontation with former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee outside her residence in Kolkata on Tuesday (October 13) evening, with her party alleging that the woman tried to attack her with a knife.

The incident reportedly took place around 6:00PM in the Kalighat area when Banerjee was leaving her residence to attend a Durga Puja event nearby.

In a police complaint, Trinamool Congress leader Dola Sen identified the woman as Tannishtha Saha and alleged that she hurled abuses at Banerjee and tried to approach her aggressively while carrying a knife. Sen also claimed that the woman was a civic volunteer and had introduced herself as Banerjee's niece.

However, Kolkata Police described the incident as an altercation and did not confirm the alleged knife attack.

In a statement, police said a woman identified as Anusua Saha, 38, confronted the former chief minister, leading to a heated exchange. She was subsequently detained by police personnel on duty.

The police said a complaint had also been lodged by TMC members and that necessary action was being taken in accordance with the law.

The incident prompted the Mamata-led faction of the TMC to raise questions about the security arrangements for Banerjee, who has Z-plus security cover.

Party spokesperson Saket Gokhale alleged on social media that the woman had tried to attack Banerjee with a knife. He also questioned how such an incident could occur near the residence of a leader with the highest category of security cover and suggested a possible political conspiracy involving the BJP. No evidence establishing such a conspiracy was cited in the allegation.

The incident comes amid political tensions in West Bengal following the TMC's defeat in the state Assembly elections in May.

In August, Banerjee claimed that a large stone had been thrown at her car in Kolkata's Shyambazar area, leaving her with chest pain for several days.

Earlier, in May, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee's vehicle was reportedly targeted with stones and eggs in South 24 Parganas district, which has long been considered a party stronghold.

On Saturday (October 10), Baruipur Purba MLA Bibhas Sardar also alleged that a mob surrounded his vehicle, threatened to kill him and threw a brick at its windscreen. He said he escaped without serious harm.

-EM