West Bengal Police arrested four suspects during overnight raids following the assault on TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee in Sonarpur.
The Diamond Harbour MP was targeted by a mob hurling stones and eggs while visiting victims of post-poll violence in South 24 Parganas.
Security personnel intervened as the crowd physically assaulted Banerjee, who was later treated at a private hospital in Kolkata.
Abhishek Banerjee Attack: Four Arrested in Sonarpur Mob Assault Case
West Bengal Police arrested four people for the mob attack on TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee in Sonarpur. The Diamond Harbour MP was assaulted during a visit to South 24 Parganas.
Summary
Police arrested four people for allegedly attacking Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee during a visit to Sonarpur in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district.
Police conducted overnight raids based on video footage collected from the area to identify the suspects, a senior officer told the news agency on Sunday.
Authorities registered a suo motu case in the matter, as neither Banerjee nor the Trinamool Congress had lodged a formal complaint by Sunday, an officer told Press Trust of India.
Police will produce the arrested individuals before a court in Baruipur, they told PTI. The investigation follows a violent episode that has sparked intense political exchanges across the state.
Details of Mob Attack
The assault occurred on Saturday when Banerjee travelled to Sonarpur town to visit victims of post-poll violence, PTI reported. Scores of people confronted the Diamond Harbour MP, hurling stones, eggs and abuses at him.
Unidentified individuals scuffled with the leader and roughed him up while raising chants of "thief, thief," according to the news agency.
The situation quickly spiralled into chaos. Members of the crowd attempted to physically attack Banerjee by raining blows and kicks on him, which prompted swift intervention by security personnel. Aides helped Banerjee escape the mob while he wore a cricket helmet for protection.
Following the incident, Banerjee was briefly admitted to a private hospital in Kolkata. He was discharged after receiving primary medical attention, Press Trust of India reported.
Fierce Political Reactions
Following the incident, Abhishek Banerjee said that Bharatiya Janata Party activists were trying to kill him, according to Press Trust of India.
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee visited the hospital where he had checked in, alongside party leaders Firhad Kakim and Derek O'Brien, Press Trust of India reported. She pointed fingers directly at the political opposition.
"RULERS BECAME KILLERS- shame on you BJP!" she wrote on X.
BJP West Bengal president Samik Bhattacharya denounced the attack, saying that such incidents are not desirable in a healthy and normal society, while insisting his party was in no way involved.
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"The BJP is not involved in such activities. But what happened could be the outcome of the anger of locals who were tortured over the years," Bhattacharya told Press Trust of India.
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