The state minister Shashi Panja alleged on Saturday the BJP had planned to kill her at her residence.
“The entire neighbourhood had turned into a war-zone. Police were attacked, policewomen were attacked. Everything has been recorded. We have the footages. This was planned attack and the plan was to kill. This is my allegation,” the minister said addressing a news conference at the Trinamool Bhavan barely hours after the incident,
The Jadavpur MP Sayani Ghosh and state education minister Bratya Basu flanked minister Panja as she narrated the events of the day.
“I am going to lodge an FIR against those who have been identified and the unidentified ones. This happened while the BJP workers were on the way to the Brigade Parade ground. What will happen when they make the return journey? Has Modi given any guarantee that there will be no attacks anywhere or at my home when the BJP supporters return?” minister Panja asked.
She also alleged that the BJP had trooped the party supporters from the adjoining states of Bihar and Jharkhand to fill the venue.
The minister claimed she had footage of the BJP supporters tearing down festoons, banners and flexes put up by the Trinamool at the Chittaranjan Avenue crossing in Girish Park, where the minister’s house is located.
TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, condemned the attack termed it as targeted violence against women and Bengal's democratic ethos.
"A serving Cabinet Minister was attacked in broad daylight by BJP goons emboldened by their Prime Minister's presence in the city. This is not an attack on one woman. This is an attack on every woman of Bengal," Abhishek posted on X.
He further said, "This is BJP’s culture. They want to destroy peace. They want to spread fear. This will neither be forgiven, nor be forgotten."
On Saturday afternoon, a group of BJP supporters are alleged to have torn down a ‘boycott BJP’ flex put up by the local Trinamool unit which led to the violence, in which the officer-in-charge of the Bowbazar police station too was injured.
“We will not allow this goondaism in Bengal,” she said.
State minister Bratya Basu said a handful of policemen were posted outside the minister’s house but in front of a 200-strong mob they could not offer resistance.
The BJP has claimed that one of the buses ferrying party supporters to the venue was attacked by Trinamool supporters at the Girish Park- Chittaranjan avenue crossing. The BJP claimed one of its supporters was injured in an attack orchestrated by the Trinamool.
The supporters of both the parties came to blows in front of a team of policemen stationed to guard the minister’s home.
