Abhishek Banerjee attack case twist: Accused linked to ex-TMC MLA
What's the story
The investigation into the attack on Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee has taken a new turn with the arrest of five people. The accused have been linked to former TMC MLA Lovely Maitra. The arrests were made after police conducted overnight raids based on video footage from the incident in Sonarpur, West Bengal.
Accused identified
Who are the accused
Among those arrested are Tapan Maity and Akash, who were seen in videos related to the incident. Tapan Maity and Nirmalya Sengupta (also known as Joy) are said to be close to Maitra. Kajal Das and Debasish Dutta were also linked with the former legislator and have been arrested in this case. The police have registered a case suo motu as neither Banerjee nor his party had filed a formal complaint till Sunday.
Incident details
What we know about the attack
Banerjee was attacked during his visit to Sonarpur to meet victims of post-poll violence. He alleged that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists were behind the attack. The situation escalated as some in the crowd tried to physically assault him, but security personnel intervened. After the incident, Banerjee was briefly hospitalized and discharged after primary medical attention.
Political fallout
Mamata Banerjee blames BJP
Reacting to the incident, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee blamed the BJP. She wrote on social media platform X, "RULERS BECAME KILLERS- shame on you BJP!" The TMC chief also visited Abhishek Banerjee at a private hospital in Kolkata along with other party leaders. Meanwhile, BJP West Bengal president Samik Bhattacharya condemned the attack but denied any involvement of his party. He said it could be due to locals' anger over years of torture.
Twitter Post
Mamata Banerjee's post
RULERS BECAME KILLERS- shame on you BJP https://t.co/DHNsnDAc9a
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) May 30, 2026