Kolkata: A woman was detained outside former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s Kalighat home on Tuesday evening after her party alleged that the woman had tried to attack her with a knife. Kolkata Police, however, stopped short of confirming any weapon, calling it a “heated altercation”.
The Mamata All India Trinamool Congress said the incident took place around 6 pm, when Banerjee was leaving her residence to inaugurate a Durga Puja pandal.
In a complaint to the Kalighat police station, party general secretary Dola Sen named the woman as Tannishtha Saha, described her as a civic volunteer, and said she had claimed to be Banerjee’s niece, as reported by NDTV.
“She was hurling abusive languages (sic) and in an intoxicated manner tried to violently approach Smt. Mamata Banerjee and even lied down (sic) on the road to hurt the Hon’ble 8th Chief Minister of West Bengal,” Sen said in her complaint.
The party also alleged that Saha was a drug addict and questioned how she could get close to a Z-plus protectee. It suggested the episode could have been part of a conspiracy.
Sharing the complaint on X, party spokesperson Saket Gokhale wrote: “A drug addict reached Mamata Banerjee’s residence today and tried to attack her with a knife. This is the condition in Bengal where even a Z+ protectee & 3-time CM is not safe. Was this a planned conspiracy by BJP because Didi is determined to finish them off in Delhi?”
Later, police identified the detainee as 38-year-old Anusua Saha. “An incident occurred at the residence of the former chief minister when she was exiting the residence. One Anusua Saha confronted her, leading to a heated altercation. The woman was subsequently detained by the police personnel on duty. Meanwhile, a complaint was lodged by TMC members. Necessary action is being taken as per law,” the police said.
The allegation follows a string of incidents involving the Mamata Banerjee faction after the TMC’s defeat in the May assembly elections.
In August, Banerjee alleged that a stone hit her car in Shyambazar, causing chest pain for days. In May, Abhishek Banerjee was allegedly targeted with stones and eggs in South 24 Parganas. On Saturday, Baruipur Purba MLA Bibhas Sardar said a mob surrounded his vehicle, threatened him and threw a brick at the windshield.
