Complaint filed over knife attack bid on Mamata near home

A complaint was filed with the police alleging that a woman carrying a knife attempted to approach former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee in a threatening manner when she was going to inaugurate a Durga Puja near her residence in the city's Kalighat area.

The accused woman was detained, a senior police officer said. In the complaint, Mamata AITC leader Dola Sen alleged that the incident took place around 6 pm on Tuesday when Banerjee visited the Milan Sangha Puja pandal in her neighbourhood.

The complaint named the woman and alleged that she was known in the locality as a civic volunteer and a drug addict. "She was hurling abuses and, in an intoxicated manner, tried to violently approach Mamata Banerjee," Sen said in the complaint, adding that the woman was carrying a knife. The complaint further alleged that the woman claimed to be Banerjee's niece and lay on the road, creating a scene while attempting to approach the Mamata AITC supremo.

Sen said it was concerning that someone allegedly carrying a weapon could approach the residence of Banerjee, a Z-plus category protectee. Stating that the incident could be the result of a conspiracy, the former Rajya Sabha member requested the police to examine photographs and video footage submitted with the complaint and take appropriate legal action. She urged the authorities to take cognisance of the matter under Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which governs how police record information regarding cognisable offences.