'Chor, Chor To Eggs, Stones: How Attack On Abhishek Banerjee Unfolded

At 11 pm outside Kolkata' Belle Vue Clinic, former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee alleged doctors were being threatened by police and the ruling BJP to not admit her nephew Abhishek Banerjee hours after he was heckled, pelted with eggs, shoes, stones and slushy mud at Sonarpur during his maiden public appearance since the party's poll drubbing in the state.

Abhishek Banerjee set out on Saturday to meet the families of TMC workers who had allegedly died in post-poll violence. He first reached TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh's residence in Beleghata around 1.30 pm, where reported post-poll violence victim Biswajit Pattanayak's family members were called to meet him. About 8 km away, a team of CID officers accompanied by a videographer had reached Abhishek Banerjee's residence to serve a notice in the alleged Vidhan Sabha signature scandal. His security informed the CID he wasn't home. In the meantime, he tweeted, "Today, I visited the family of Biswajit Pattanayak in Beleghata."

Today, I visited the family of Biswajit Pattanayak in Beleghata.
Biswajit was a dedicated Trinamool Congress worker whose BRUTAL MURDER EXPOSED THE DANGEROUS CLIMATE OF VIOLENCE THAT HAS ENGULFED BENGAL since @BJP4Bengal CAPTURED power.

No family should have to endure such loss.… pic.twitter.com/XwlwJIYTVY

— Abhishek Banerjee (@abhishekaitc) May 30, 2026

He returned to Kalighat and addressed the media and said, "I haven't bowed my head before ED and CBI. Then what is the CID? Let them give me a notice, I'll legally respond. If they think they can scare me, demolish my house, TMC party offices and mute our party, they are mistaken."

The CID team at 2.22 pm served the notice to Abhishek Banerjee in-person to appear before the investigating agency headquarters at Bhawani Bhavan on Monday at 12 pm in the TMC MLAs signature scandal investigation.

Abhishek Banerjee then proceeded to Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas district. The three-term MP from Diamond Harbour, which falls under the same district, had not reached his destination when BJP workers were seen preparing for protests in the area. Black flags were visible at multiple locations, with protesters raising "go back" slogans. 

Groups of women also gathered at several points in Sonarpur. They joined in raising similar slogans but, instead of carrying black flags, were seen holding eggs. These eggs were hurled at Abhishek Banerjee and his team members as the convoy passed through the area.

Staying true to his word, Shri @abhishekaitc REFUSED TO ABANDON the grieving family of Sanju Karmakar.

Even after a vicious attack by @BJP4Bengal-backed miscreants, our National General Secretary chose not to turn back. Instead, he stood beside a family devastated by an… pic.twitter.com/L11oo92AzQ

— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) May 30, 2026

The road leading to the house of the TMC worker in Sonarpur, whom Abhishek Banerjee had gone to visit, was too narrow for large vehicles to enter. As a result, the Diamond Harbour MP left his SUV on the main road and continued the journey on a motorcycle.

By then, he had already faced a round of protests, with demonstrators reportedly trailing him. Abhishek Banerjee and his team members were travelling on three motorcycles, but amid continuous sloganeering and obstructions, the Trinamool Congress national general secretary dismounted and began walking toward the residence of the party worker.

It was at this point that chaos unfolded. Several locals surrounded the MP and allegedly began physically heckling him. Eggs and pieces of brick were hurled indiscriminately in his direction. To protect himself, Abhishek Banerjee put on a cricket helmet that was handed to him by a party worker.

However, the helmet did not spare him from the attack. Slaps, punches and physical aggression continued, forcing him to duck his head due to the impact. "Chor, chor" (thief, thief) slogans, taunts and abusive remarks were hurled at him.

Photo Credit: PTI

Despite the attack, he continued walking toward the worker's residence. The protesters claimed that the TMC worker had not been killed in post-poll violence, alleging that the party was making false claims. They also accused the dead worker of extortion and intimidation.

A visibly shaken Abhishek Banerjee arrived at the residence wearing an egg-stained white shirt and marks of the attack were visible on his body.

Speaking from the victim's home, he alleged that there had been a conspiracy to "kill him". He asserted that even if he was attacked again, he would not leave Sonarpur until arrangements were made to ensure the safety of the dead TMC worker's elderly parents.

He launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya. Questioning the law-and-order situation, Abhishek Banerjee said, "Is this an example of governance under the BJP government? Women are being dragged by their hair and thrown to the ground. Two or three women who accompanied me were kicked and pushed onto the road. Is this Bengal's culture and tradition? A long-time colleague of mine has died. Am I not allowed to visit his family? Why was I stopped and attacked when I came here only to meet them?"

He further said that neither the ruling party nor the government could evade responsibility. According to Abhishek Banerjee, he had informed the administration about his visit in advance. "I came here to visit the family of a deceased colleague. I informed the officer-in-charge. Yet not a single police officer turned up. Under whose instructions do the district and state police function? Even after I called the police, no one answered. My messages went unanswered," he claimed.

The MP maintained that the people of Sonarpur were not responsible for the attack. For nearly half an hour, he repeatedly alleged that the assault had been carried out by "hired BJP goons".

Referring to his medical history, Banerjee said, "I have undergone seven surgeries on my eyes. I was involved in a road accident ten years ago. Bricks and stones were hurled at me, look at the condition of my spectacles."

Displaying his damaged glasses, he alleged that BJP workers had physically assaulted him and announced that he would approach both the High Court and the Supreme Court over the matter. "Is jungle raj prevailing in West Bengal?" he asked.

He further claimed to have inside information about the alleged outsiders involved in the attack, claiming that they had been mobilised through a Facebook live session before his arrival in Sonarpur.

"A venue called B Garden-Sonarpur Banquet and Community Hall was rented. People were brought there from outside and accommodated. They had been instructed to physically attack me the moment I got down from my vehicle," Abhishek Banerjee alleged. He was then escorted out by police and central force from the locality.

As he returned to Kolkata, two private hospitals - first Apollo and then Belle Vue - didn't admit the TMC MP. The doctor's report stated, "He has no serious injuries except bruises on his chest and doesn't require admission." Mamata Banerjee, who rushed to the rescue of the party's second-in-command, said, "In Apollo, doctors said they need to take permission from CEO of the hospital for admission. Do you need to take permission from BJP to admit a patient? They have become inhuman. Forget murder of democracy, they can't even get treatment."

Last week, TMC MP Sougata Roy was also pelted with eggs in his constituency, and from other districts, similar visuals of public outbursts against Trinamool leaders surfaced. What remains common in the slogans is "chor, chor (thief, thief)".