TMC supremo and ex-West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee
Kolkata: Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee faced a hostile reception at Halisahar in North 24 Parganas district on Sunday, August 9, when protesters surrounded her vehicle, shouted ‘chor’ (thief) and ‘dakait rani’ (queen of thieves) slogans, and allegedly hurled mud, slippers and stones at her car as she went to meet the family of a deceased TMC worker.
Banerjee, who was visiting the family of a TMC worker who allegedly died in police custody, was forced to pass through a police cordon as the demonstration briefly turned the road into a charged political theatre, with the rival sides trading allegations of conspiracy, provocation and administrative failure.
“My car has been attacked with stones, shoes and mud. This is nothing but a conspiracy. I had informed the police that I would be coming, but despite that, no security measures were taken,” Banerjee told reporters after reaching the area.
The former chief minister alleged that large bricks were also thrown at her vehicle.
“My head could have been smashed. I could have died here,” she said, accusing the BJP-led state government of using “goons” to target her.
Banerjee also trained her guns on Chief Minister and Home Minister Suvendu Adhikari, saying she had no particular anger against the police but alleging that the force was being used at the behest of the state government.
“The police are protecting the lumpens. Bengal has gone into the hands of lumpens,” she said, adding that her party would pursue the matter legally.
The BJP, however, accused Banerjee of coming to Kanchrapara to “provoke” tensions and said local people had protested against her presence.
The confrontation added a new edge to the increasingly adversarial political atmosphere in West Bengal, where Banerjee and senior TMC leaders have faced public protests during recent visits.
The latest incident came two months after Banerjee faced “chor-chor” slogans outside the Calcutta High Court in June as she emerged from the premises.
Her nephew and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee too encountered a hostile reception during a visit to Sonarpur the same month, when protesters allegedly pelted his convoy with eggs and raised similar slogans.
The Halisahar episode, therefore, was not merely another roadside protest. It unfolded during a politically sensitive visit by Banerjee to the family of a TMC worker whose death in police custody has become a fresh flashpoint between the ruling establishment and the opposition camp.
The deceased, identified as Birju Keot, husband of former Kanchrapara municipal councillor Jeni Sharma Keot, had been arrested by Halisahar police in connection with allegations including extortion. He was produced before a court on Friday, which remanded him in police custody for five days. His death was reported on Saturday.
His wife has alleged that he was beaten inside the lock-up and died as a result of police assault. There was no immediate response from the police to the allegation.
Banerjee visited the family on Sunday and accused the state government of allowing law and order to deteriorate.
The political symbolism of her visit was amplified by the reaction on the streets. As her vehicle moved through the area, protesters gathered around it, forcing security personnel to form a human shield. Mud and footwear landed on the vehicle while slogans against Banerjee rent the air.
TMC spokesperson Krishanu Mitra condemned the incident, describing the alleged pelting of stones and mud at Banerjee’s vehicle as “extremely ugly and condemnable”. He linked the protest to the death of Keot in police custody and said the party would strongly oppose both incidents.
Banerjee was accompanied by Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee and Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen, who also lashed out at the state administration following the protest.
Kalyan Banerjee alleged that Adhikari was “running the state through the police” and using alleged mafia elements for political purposes. He also claimed that the situation could have turned more dangerous had Banerjee’s security personnel not intervened.
For the BJP, meanwhile, protests against Banerjee and her family members provide an opportunity to portray the former ruling establishment as facing growing public anger after its defeat in assembly polls this year after 15 years in power.
For Banerjee, Sunday’s confrontation offered the opposite political frame: an opportunity to accuse the new administration of failing to protect a former chief minister and of allowing political violence and lawlessness to take root.
The competing narratives — public anger versus political conspiracy — are likely to make the Halisahar confrontation another flashpoint in Bengal’s increasingly personalised political battle.
This post was last modified on August 9, 2026 6:32 pm