Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Nand has rejected allegations that former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee was attacked with a knife outside her Kalighat residence, saying the complaint had “no substance or truth”. The police clarification followed a complaint by Trinamool Congress MP Dola Sen and political concerns over Banerjee’s security cover.
The alleged incident took place on Tuesday evening as Banerjee left her Kalighat home to inaugurate the Durga Puja of Kalighat Milan Sangha. She had returned from Delhi shortly before the event, according to the report. The Trinamool Congress had alleged that a woman approached Banerjee as she emerged, verbally abused her and attempted to attack her with a knife.
According to the allegations, security personnel and local residents intervened and detained the woman at the scene. Sen subsequently lodged a complaint alleging that the woman had attempted to attack Banerjee. The allegation triggered questions about how an individual was able to approach the former chief minister while she was leaving her residence under security protection.
However, Commissioner Nand said the incident did not amount to an attack. “This is not an attack. She went there to meet her, but it appeared otherwise to the supporters,” he said, according to the report. Nand also stated that the woman and her father had been acquainted with Banerjee for a long time.
Police identified the detained woman as 38-year-old Anusuya Saha, a resident of SN Roy Road in New Alipore. Saha was identified as a civic volunteer posted at the West Port police station since November 2011. The report said senior police sources had confirmed that she had been absent from duty and had not been reporting for work since October 2, 2025.
The police investigation is examining Saha’s background, her prolonged absence from duty and the circumstances that led to her presence outside Banerjee’s residence. The commissioner’s account indicates that police are treating the episode differently from the initial political description of an attempted knife attack. The available account does not establish that a weapon was used or that Banerjee sustained any injury.
The dispute has also widened into a political debate about the functioning of high-level security arrangements. Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee questioned the protection provided to the former chief minister. “If this is Z+ security, imagine the safety of common people,” he said.
The incident places attention on the operational responsibilities of security personnel, local police and event organisers when protected public figures move through residential neighbourhoods for public engagements. In this case, the police commissioner’s statement and the complaint present competing accounts of what happened, while the authorities continue to investigate the detained woman’s background and the circumstances surrounding the episode.
