Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Madan Mitra narrowly escaped a violent midnight assault on Saturday after an aggressive mob swarmed and vandalized his vehicle in Ward 14 of the Kamarhati municipality, North 24 Parganas.
The incident marks the third targeted attack on high-profile TMC leaders within a span of just ten days, highlighting escalating political tensions and public unrest in West Bengal. Mitra’s ambush follows a rapid succession of hostile incidents targeting senior TMC leadership:
May 30 – Attack on Abhishek Banerjee: In Sonarpur (South 24 Parganas), TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s convoy was targeted while visiting families affected by post-election violence. Protesters hurled bricks, stones, and eggs, resulting in intense scuffles and multiple injuries. Several arrests were subsequently made.
May 31 – Attack on Kalyan Banerjee: The senior leader was attacked with stones during a protest outside a police station in the Hooghly district. Banerjee suffered bleeding injuries, wore a visible bandage, and staged a sit-in protest in response.
June 3–4 – Courtroom Hostility: Public anger has extended to judicial venues. Aggressive crowds gathered during the court appearances of arrested TMC leader Jay Prakash Majumdar and former minister Swarup Biswas, raising slogans and throwing eggs at the leaders to demand accountability.
The violence unfolded late Saturday night when Mitra arrived in the Ariadaha area to defuse an intense protest outside the residence of Ward 14 Councillor Arindam Biswas. Local auto-rickshaw and e-rickshaw drivers had gathered to demand the return of “cut money” (illegal commissions and bribes) allegedly extorted by local leaders over the years.
As the Kamarhati MLA attempted to intervene, the agitated crowd turned its fury toward him. According to Mitra, a mob of 100 to 150 people—armed with iron rods, sticks, sharp weapons, and firearms—surrounded his vehicle, chanting “chor, chor” (thief, thief) and pelting the car with eggs.
Mitra alleged that the attackers dragged his driver out of the car and assaulted him, smashing the vehicle’s windows. The MLA credited his survival to a group of local women and Councillor Biswas, who shielded him and hid him inside a dark room until the situation subsided. A video capturing the vandalism and egg-pelting has since gone viral on social media.
Mitra blamed BJP-backed miscreants for the ambush and demanded immediate action from the Director General of Police (DGP) and the Barrackpore Police Commissioner. The police have launched an investigation and stepped up security in the area.
The public backlash comes amid tightening legal scrutiny on local TMC leadership. On the same night as the attack on Mitra, Bappaditya Dasgupta—the TMC councillor for Ward 101 in Patuli—was arrested. His apprehension followed the arrest of his aide and youth leader Saurav Ghosh on charges of extortion and criminal intimidation.
Opposition Response
Responding to the incident involving Mitra, BJP MP Raju Bista stated that while the BJP does not condone violence, the public’s outrage is a direct consequence of systemic corruption:
“The people defeated the TMC because they opposed such violence. For 15 years, the TMC humiliated the people and looted their money. Naturally, the people of West Bengal are angry. However, violence is not the right path—the public should file formal complaints at police stations for the administration to take action.”
The string of attacks coincides with a severe internal crisis for the ruling party, which has faced a multi-level rebellion since the announcement of recent election results:
- At the MLA Level: A faction of 58 MLAs, led by expelled leader Ritabrata Banerjee, has broken away, claiming the constitutional support of two-thirds of the party’s legislative strength.
- At the MP Level: Media reports indicate that up to 20 TMC Members of Parliament are currently preparing to defect. Notably, Minority Cell Secretary Ajmal Siddiqui has already tendered his resignation.
- At the Local Body Level: In Diamond Harbour, a key TMC stronghold, nine councillors resigned en masse, effectively forcing the dissolution of the local municipality.
