Mamata alleges ‘house arrest’ as Kunal Ghosh’s car is attacked ahead of Serampore rally

• Mamata Banerjee said she and her supporters faced obstacles in reaching a court-permitted rally in Serampore, though she eventually attended.

• TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh said his car was attacked in Uttarpara. Banerjee blamed BJP supporters; the BJP denied involvement.

• At the rally, Banerjee criticised the Election Commission’s voter-list revision and promised to support evicted hawkers.

Mamata Banerjee alleged on Saturday that she was being prevented from leaving her Kolkata home to attend her scheduled public meeting in Serampore, accusing the authorities of creating obstacles to the event. “They are not letting me leave my house,” the Trinamool Congress leader said before eventually setting out for the meeting.

Mamata claimed that the rally was being held in accordance with a court order but that her supporters were being stopped from travelling to Serampore. “Today’s meeting is taking place under court orders. We have been placed under house arrest,” she alleged. She also questioned the lack of police protection, saying there was “no police presence” to ensure safety even though the meeting was proceeding with police backing. She claimed that people were being prevented from travelling along the GT Road from Uttarpara.

The tension intensified after Trinamool MLA Kunal Ghosh alleged that his car was attacked in Uttarpara while he was travelling to the Serampore meeting. According to Ghosh, the road was blocked and a group attacked his vehicle with stones, bricks, sticks and iron rods. Eggs were also thrown at the car; its windows were smashed and Ghosh said he sustained injuries.

Ghosh alleged that the attack was intended to stop him from reaching Mamata’s meeting. After the incident, he turned his car around and went towards Bhabani Bhaban, the state police headquarters. He said he was not there to lodge a formal complaint because he had already emailed the Uttarpara police, but wanted senior officials to see the condition of his vehicle. He also accused the police of failing to act.

Mamata directly blamed what she called “BJP goons” for the incident and described it as an “ominous sign for democracy”. Reacting strongly to the attack, she said: “Such an incident does not occur even in any African country.” Her party colleague Asit Majumdar, who was overseeing the Serampore meeting, alleged that Trinamool workers were being stopped from reaching the venue. “Kunal Ghosh was attacked in the Sakher Bazar area of Uttarpara and subjected to ‘egg therapy’,” he said. “Trinamool cannot be stopped this way.”

The BJP rejected the allegation of involvement. BJP MP Rahul Sinha claimed that the incident was the result of internal conflict within the Trinamool Congress and said the BJP had no role in it. Akhruzzaman, associated with the camp of Trinamool leader Ritabrata Banerjee, also alleged that the incident was orchestrated by a rival Trinamool faction. These claims could not be independently established from the information available.

There was further political tension before the meeting after Dankuni police arrested Tumpa Mete, a former member of the Trinamool-led Hooghly Zilla Parishad. She was arrested on allegations of fraud involving promises of jobs. Her name had also appeared on the 2016 School Service Commission panel that was subsequently cancelled by the Supreme Court amid a corruption case. Mete denied the allegations, saying simply, “It is all a lie.” She alleged political vendetta and said: “What is happening across Bengal is happening to me as well.”

Despite the confrontation, Mamata eventually reached Serampore via Dankuni and Delhi Road rather than travelling through Uttarpara. A police vehicle accompanied her car, and she reached the venue without incident. Central forces were deployed in Uttarpara after the alleged attack on Ghosh’s vehicle.

At the meeting, Mamata turned her attack towards Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Election Commission’s voter-list revision exercise. Referring to the SIR process, she repeatedly criticised Kumar, whom she mockingly called “Vanish Kumar”. “I was the first to coin the name ‘Vanish Kumar’,” she said, alleging that names were being systematically removed from the voter list. “Vanish Kumar must go. Our agitation will continue until he leaves.”

Mamata ended by focusing on livelihoods and welfare. Speaking about the eviction of hawkers, she accused the authorities of destroying poor people’s livelihoods. “Everyone has the right to a livelihood; it is a democratic right,” she said, promising to fight for evicted hawkers in court and demanding compensation.

Madan Mitra, a Democratic Trinamool Congress MLA, expressed concern over the alleged attack on Kunal Ghosh but questioned the Trinamool Congress leadership’s decision to directly blame the BJP. “Ghosh is my friend and I will be hurt if this has happened to him. But I feel that Mamata’s leaders are giving unnecessary attention to the BJP by making such allegations. Anyway, there is no proof that the BJP did this,” Mitra said.

Congress and Left leaders, meanwhile, condemned the alleged attack on Ghosh’s vehicle and criticised what they described as attempts to obstruct Mamata Banerjee and her supporters from reaching the Serampore meeting.