A woman was detained after Trinamool Congress MP Dola Sen alleged that she tried to approach former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee with a knife outside Banerjee’s residence in Kolkata’s Kalighat area on Tuesday evening. The allegation has raised questions about security arrangements around the former chief minister’s home, although the supplied report does not establish that an assault took place.
According to Anandabazar – Kolkata, Sen informed the officer-in-charge of Kalighat police station about the incident by email. The report said the alleged confrontation occurred at about 6 pm, when Banerjee, Sen and Trinamool leader Baishwanar Chattopadhyay were on their way to the Kalighat Milan Sangha puja.
Sen alleged that the woman addressed Banerjee as “aunt” and ran towards her before attempting to lunge at her. She further alleged that the woman was carrying a knife, appeared to be under the influence of an intoxicating substance and later lay on the road while abusing those present. The report did not include an independent police confirmation of these allegations.
The woman was identified by police as Anusua Saha, a resident of New Alipore, according to the report. Police were said to have detained her after receiving the complaint. The report also stated that Saha had introduced herself as a civic volunteer and had not been on duty for about a year. The supplied material does not clarify her current employment status, the circumstances of the detention or whether a formal case had been registered.
Sen alleged that she informed two police personnel who were present at the location after the incident. According to her account, they identified themselves as state police personnel and said they could not intervene because the area fell under Kolkata Police jurisdiction. She also alleged that the detained woman was taken away from the spot and given tea by police officers.
The incident has brought the security of a former chief minister into focus because Banerjee’s residence is in a densely populated part of south Kolkata, where residential streets, religious sites and public activity operate in close proximity. The available report, however, does not provide details of Banerjee’s security cover, the police deployment outside the residence, whether any weapon was recovered or whether anyone was injured.
The report also carried a political exchange over responsibility for Banerjee’s protection. Sen questioned whether the state government wanted the former chief minister to remain safe. State minister Tapas Roy responded by saying that Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari was attentive to Banerjee’s security and that action would be taken. The political statements were made in the context of the allegation and did not establish the operational facts of the incident.
The immediate next steps are expected to depend on the Kalighat police inquiry into the complaint, the woman’s detention and the verification of the alleged knife possession and attempted approach. No further official details were provided in the supplied report.
