New Delhi: Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she was attacked on Wednesday while in Nandigram, where she had gone to file her nomination for the coming assembly elections, NDTV reported. The Chief Minister said she was pushed by four or five people against her car and had the door shut on her at a time when there was no police personnel around her.
Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Trinamool MP (currently in Nandigram) said: "At about 6.15 pm, when she was about to leave Birulia Anchal after performing Puja in a temple, a few unknown persons pushed her to the car and forcibly shut the door, as a result of which she sustained injuries in her left leg and suffered severe pain in the waist."
The incident occurred at Birulia Anchal Market, 5 km from Reyapara, where Ms Banerjee stopped to talk to the media about the incident.
The Chief Minister told reporters that she was pushed by four or five men while she was trying to get into her car. Pointing to her leg, she added, "See how it is swelling up". When asked if it was a planned attack, she alleged, "Of course it is a conspiracy... there were no policemen around me".
Even as she was speaking, she seemed to be in physical distress. After she complained of worsening pain in her back and waist, her personal security guards lifted her and placed her on the backseat of her vehicle.
The 66-year-old -- who has sustained many an injury earlier, most notably in 1991 when she was attacked by CPM goons -- appeared pale, visibly shaken and in much pain.
Ms Banerjee -- who filed her nomination today and was expected to spend the night in Nandigram -- returned immediately to Kolkata, around 130 km away. A green corridor was created for fast access to the SSKM Hospital, where she was admitted.
The Chief Minister underwent a battery of tests including neurological tests and an X-ray of her left leg. Late in the night, she was sent to the Bangur Institute of Neurosciences at SSKM for an MRI. According to sources, she has sustained injuries on lower limbs which are swollen and painful.
She has been administered strong pain killers.
The Election Commission has asked the Chief Secretary for a report on the attack on the Chief Minister who has Z-Plus security. The report has to be submitted by Friday.