Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nanda has denied that an attack took place on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee outside her Kalighat residence, rejecting reports that a woman tried to assault her as she was leaving for a local Durga Puja inauguration on Tuesday evening.
Nanda said the woman had come to meet Banerjee and that the allegation of an attack was not supported by police information. “The allegation of an attack is not true. The police have no information regarding this,” the commissioner said, according to a report by Sangbad Pratidin.
The incident occurred near Banerjee’s residence in Kalighat after she returned from a programme in Delhi on Monday. On Tuesday evening, she was scheduled to inaugurate the Durga Puja celebrations of Kalighat Milan Sangha, located near her home.
According to the report, the woman, identified as Anusua Saha, appeared outside the residence claiming to be Banerjee’s niece. When Banerjee came out, Saha allegedly called her “Pishi” and tried to move towards her. The report also said that she allegedly pulled at the chief minister’s sari before people present at the location restrained her and brought her to the ground.
A knife was allegedly recovered from Saha, and police initially suspected that she was under the influence of an intoxicating substance. She was detained and later arrested after Dola Sen filed a complaint, the report said.
Nanda said Saha had identified herself as a civic volunteer. He also said that she had begun her service at West Port police station in 2011 but had not reported for duty for about a year. The commissioner confirmed that she had been absent from work during that period.
The police chief further said that Saha’s father had previously known Banerjee. That detail, along with Saha’s claimed connection to the chief minister, is part of the police account of how she came to be near the residence.
The differing descriptions of the incident centre on whether Saha’s actions constituted an attack. The report described an alleged attempt to grab Banerjee’s clothing and move towards her, while the police commissioner said no attack had taken place and that the woman had come to meet the chief minister.
The case places attention on security arrangements around the residence of a serving chief minister and on the procedures used when someone with a claimed personal connection seeks access. The supplied report does not provide details of the sections applied in the case, the outcome of questioning, or any further police action.
The police commissioner’s statement remains the latest official account cited in the report. Further developments will depend on the police investigation and the proceedings following Saha’s arrest.
