Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP-led government of deliberately failing to provide adequate security and alleged that the attack was part of a political conspiracy.
BY PC Bureau
August 9, 2026: A condolence visit by former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee turned into a tense political confrontation in Halisahar on Sunday when a group of protesters surrounded her convoy, raised slogans accusing her of corruption, and allegedly threw mud, footwear and stones at her vehicle.
Banerjee had travelled to North 24 Parganas to meet the family of Birju Keot, a Trinamool Congress worker who died after being taken into police custody. The visit quickly became a flashpoint, with security personnel forming a protective cordon around her vehicle as protesters gathered on the road.
The incident triggered competing allegations from the Trinamool Congress and the BJP, with Banerjee alleging a deliberate security failure and political conspiracy, while the BJP accused her of visiting the area to provoke tensions.
Former #Bengal CM #MamataBanerjee car came under attack in Halisahar as she was on her way to meet with the bereaved family of her party worker – one who #TMC alleges had died in police custody. pic.twitter.com/6vOvbocGFX
— Tamal Saha (@Tamal0401) August 9, 2026
Banerjee Alleges Security Failure
Speaking to reporters after the confrontation, Banerjee alleged that her vehicle was attacked with stones, slippers and mud despite the police being informed in advance about her visit.
“My car has been attacked with stones, shoes and mud. This is nothing but a conspiracy,” she said, claiming that large pieces of brick were also thrown at the vehicle.
Banerjee said the attack could have had fatal consequences.
“My head could have been smashed. I could have died here,” she said.
She questioned how protesters were able to approach her convoy despite the administration being aware of her planned visit.
The former chief minister also accused the BJP-led state government of using political supporters to target her.
Attack on Police Administration
Banerjee directed much of her criticism at Chief Minister and Home Minister Suvendu Adhikari, while maintaining that her objections were not directed at the police force as an institution.
She alleged that the police were acting under instructions from the state government and accused the administration of shielding those responsible for creating disorder.
“I have no personal grudge against the police,” she said, while alleging that the force was being used to protect political supporters.
“Bengal has gone into the hands of lumpens,” Banerjee said, adding that the Trinamool Congress would pursue legal action over the incident.
BJP Accuses Banerjee of Provocation
The BJP rejected the Trinamool Congress’s version of events and accused Banerjee of deliberately entering the area in a politically charged atmosphere.
Party leaders alleged that her visit to the Kanchrapara-Halisahar area was intended to inflame tensions rather than merely offer condolences to the bereaved family.
The competing accounts have turned what began as a visit to the family of a deceased political worker into another confrontation between the state’s ruling BJP and the Trinamool Congress.
Custody Death at Centre of Dispute
The immediate backdrop to the confrontation is the death of Birju Keot, the husband of former Kanchrapara municipal councillor Jeni Sharma Keot.
Keot had been arrested by Halisahar police in connection with cases including alleged extortion. A court reportedly remanded him to police custody for five days on Friday. His death was reported on Saturday.
His wife has alleged that he was assaulted while in the police lock-up. The allegation has not been independently established, and police have yet to publicly respond to the claim.
Banerjee’s decision to visit the family therefore carried both a humanitarian and political significance, coming as it did amid questions over the circumstances surrounding Keot’s death.
TMC Demands Action
The Trinamool Congress condemned the confrontation and linked the alleged attack on Banerjee’s convoy to what it described as the deterioration of law and order in the state.
Party spokesperson Krishanu Mitra described the incident as “extremely ugly and condemnable” and said the party would strongly oppose what it called an attack on Banerjee.
Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee and Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen, who accompanied Mamata Banerjee, also criticised the state administration.
Kalyan Banerjee accused the government of exercising political control over the police and alleged that criminal elements were being allowed to operate with political protection. He argued that the situation could have become considerably more dangerous had Banerjee’s security personnel not intervened.
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Not an Isolated Incident
Sunday’s confrontation comes against the backdrop of increasingly hostile public encounters involving senior Trinamool leaders.
Banerjee faced “chor-chor” slogans outside the Calcutta High Court in June, while her nephew and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee faced a separate protest in Sonarpur during which protesters allegedly threw eggs at his convoy.
The incidents have provided ammunition to both sides of Bengal’s increasingly polarised political debate.
For the BJP, demonstrations against senior TMC figures are evidence of public anger towards a party that governed West Bengal for 15 years.
For the Trinamool Congress, the incidents demonstrate what it describes as a politically charged atmosphere under the new administration and an alleged failure of the government to protect opposition leaders.
Another Flashpoint in Bengal’s Political Transition
The Halisahar episode is significant not merely because of the confrontation itself, but because of the competing political narratives surrounding it.
The BJP is attempting to project the protests as an expression of public anger against the former ruling establishment. The TMC, meanwhile, is portraying the incident as evidence of political intimidation and administrative failure.
The circumstances surrounding Keot’s death are likely to remain at the centre of the controversy, particularly if allegations of custodial assault are formally investigated.
For now, the clash has added another layer to an already bitter political contest in West Bengal, where the change in government has been followed by a series of confrontations between the BJP administration and the TMC leadership.
What began as Banerjee’s visit to offer condolences to the family of a deceased party worker has consequently become another battleground in Bengal’s rapidly intensifying post-election politics.
