A knife attack attempt on Mamata Banerjee was reported on Tuesday evening when a woman carrying a knife tried to approach the former West Bengal chief minister near her residence in Kolkata’s Kalighat area, prompting police to detain her for questioning.
The incident allegedly took place around 6 pm when Banerjee, accompanied by Trinamool Congress leaders, including Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen, was visiting the Milan Sangha Durga Puja pandal in her neighbourhood.
In a complaint emailed to the Kalighat police station, Sen alleged that the woman, identified as Tannistha Saha, a Kolkata Police civic volunteer, was in an intoxicated state, hurled abuses at Banerjee and attempted to approach her aggressively while carrying a knife.
According to the complaint, the woman addressed Banerjee as her aunt, or ‘pisi’, and sat on the road, creating a scene while attempting to approach her. Sen also expressed concern over the alleged security breach, pointing out that Banerjee is a Z-plus category protectee.
Sen claimed that she alerted two police personnel present at the spot but they refused to intervene, saying the incident had occurred within the Kolkata Police jurisdiction while they belonged to the West Bengal Police.
The complaint described the incident as potentially part of a conspiracy and urged the police to examine photographs and video footage submitted along with it and take appropriate legal action.
“We are questioning the woman and trying to understand the reason behind her behaviour. We are also reviewing the video footage of the incident. Witnesses will also be spoken to,” a senior police officer said.
Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale also alleged in a post on X that a woman carrying a knife had attempted to attack Banerjee near her residence.
He questioned how a Z-plus protectee and three-time chief minister could face such a security threat and alleged a possible political conspiracy.
