Amid continuing post-poll tensions in West Bengal, Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee was reportedly up and pelted with eggs and stones by irate locals in Sonarpur South area of South 24 Parganas district on Saturday. The incident occurred while he was visiting the family of Sanju Karmakar, a TMC worker allegedly killed in post-poll violence.
This was Banerjee’s first major public outing nearly 26 days after the TMC’s crushing defeat in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, in which the BJP secured a landslide victory, ending the TMC’s 15-year rule in the state. According to reports, Banerjee had planned to visit families of two slain or attacked TMC workers, first Sanju Karmakar’s family in Sonarpur South and later Biswajit Pattanayak’s family in Beleghata, as part of a statewide outreach programme to boost the morale of party cadres claiming to be victims of targeted attacks.
As he was entering the house of the slain Trinamool worker in Sonarpur, protesters turned violent and started attacking him. The TMC leader was riding pillion on a two-wheeler. Abhishek was slapped and punched indiscriminately on the head, neck and neck. The bike was broken, Abhishek’s shirt was torn, and his glasses were also broken.
#WATCH | Sonarpur, West Bengal: TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee was beaten up by locals during his visit to Sonarpur to meet the post-poll victims' families pic.twitter.com/zkXxLJydqe
— ANI (@ANI) May 30, 2026
Locals allegedly shouted slogans calling him “chor”, pelted eggs and shoes, and pushed him. Banerjee had to don a helmet for protection from the eggs, and he walked towards the house of Sanju Karmakar.
Videos circulating on social media showed chaotic scenes as a crowd surrounded Banerjee’s vehicle and team. As per reports, before Abhishek arrived, locals were already standing on the road carrying eggs. Some people were also holding black flags, and chanted ‘go back’ when he arrived. After reaching the area, Banerjee left his four-wheeler on the main road and sat on a two-wheeler of a party worker to reach Karmakar’s house. He was targeted during this journey.
Reacting to the incident, Banerjee blamed the BJP, stating that the attack was “BJP-sponsored” and claimed that there was no police presence at the area. At the slain TMC worker’s house, he said, “My head was spared because I was wearing a helmet. My glasses were broken”. He further said, ‘They want to kill me! They will attack Sanju Karmakar’s elderly parents I will not leave Sanju’s elderly parents and go anywhere.’
“Look what they have done. This is their example of democracy. It hasn’t even been a month, and the police are nowhere to be seen,” he said. Abhishek claimed that his program was informed to the district police and administration in advance, but there was no police deployment.
