Mamata claims hospitals were told not to admit Abhishek Banerjee after attack

Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee on Saturday accused the BJP government in West Bengal of pressuring hospitals and doctors involved in the treatment of party MP Abhishek Banerjee after he was attacked in South 24 Parganas. She alleged that efforts were made to deny him admission and influence decisions related to his medical care.

Addressing reporters in Kolkata on Saturday night, she claimed that hospitals and senior authorities were being pressured not to admit him. “Those who are in power (BJP) are threatening all the hospitals and the maximum authorities not to admit Abhishek Banerjee because they don't want him to be treated,” Banerjee said, according to news agency ANI.

Questions over hospital treatment

Referring to Abhishek Banerjee’s treatment after the attack, Mamata questioned why he was kept under observation in the first place if hospitalisation was not required.

Also read | Mamata trashes TMC 'chameleons' in new poem as party crumbles after Bengal defeat

“If there was genuinely no need for hospitalisation, why was he first taken to the ITU, kept under observation for nearly two hours, and advised to undergo multiple medical tests and scans?” she asked, as quoted by PTI.

Banerjee further alleged that a hospital administrator had informed her that he was receiving “threat calls from the police.”

"The most disturbing aspect of today's developments is the allegation that pressure was exerted on doctors and hospital authorities regarding the treatment of an injured patient," she said, asserting that decisions on admission, discharge and treatment should rest solely with medical professionals.

According to the TMC supremo, Abhishek remained under medical supervision from around 8.15 pm till nearly 11 pm before being discharged. She maintained that if the doctors had considered treatment and observation necessary, no external authority should have interfered with that decision.

Extent of injuries outlined

Banerjee raised questions over both the security arrangements in place and the circumstances surrounding his treatment at a hospital afterwards.

She claimed that an elected public representative had been assaulted and subsequently faced uncertainty over medical care.

Referring to the medical assessment, Banerjee said doctors found multiple injuries and recommended urgent investigations.

"The doctors who examined him observed multiple injuries and advised urgent medical investigations. According to the medical assessment, he sustained multiple blunt injuries to the face, back, chest, and neck," she said.

She added that doctors advised X-rays and scans to rule out fractures, internal bleeding and other complications, including possible injury to internal organs.

Security lapses under scrutiny

Banerjee alleged that the incident could have had far more serious consequences.

"I have been informed that had a helmet not been placed on his head at the crucial moment, the consequences could have been fatal," she said, claiming that Abhishek suffered injuries to his chest and rib area due to stone-pelting and physical assault.

The former Bengal chief minister also questioned the administration's role, saying the police had prior information about the visit.

"The police had prior information regarding the visit of Abhishek; despite that, questions remain regarding security arrangements," she said, alleging that outsiders had been brought in to create violence.

Calls for democratic response

Maintaining that political rivalry should not translate into violence, Banerjee said democracy must be guided by public support and debate rather than intimidation.

Also read | After Mamata's fortress falls in Bengal, can TMC MPs keep party flag flying?

"Politics should be fought politically. The answer to political differences cannot be violence, intimidation, weapons, or fear," she said.

Banerjee said her party had decided to continue Abhishek's treatment under the supervision of trusted doctors and family physicians. She also noted that he has a pre-existing eye-related medical condition, making a thorough assessment of his injuries essential.

She further shared that leaders from different political parties, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal, had expressed concern over the incident.

She asserted that the TMC would continue its political programmes and respond through democratic means. "We will continue our scheduled programmes and public outreach activities. We will not be intimidated," Banerjee said.

(With agency inputs)