West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Khagen Murmu on Tuesday at a private hospital in Siliguri, where he is being treated after suffering severe injuries in a mob attack.
The assault occurred on Monday in Nagarkata, located in the Dooars region of North Bengal, as Murmu was assessing areas impacted by floods and landslides.
Television coverage captured the Chief Minister’s arrival at the hospital, where sources from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) reported that she spoke with medical staff and reassured Murmu that he would receive comprehensive support from the state government, according to news agency PTI.
Khagen Murmu was reportedly attacked by a group of locals while he was overseeing relief and rescue operations in Jalpaiguri’s Dooars region on October 6. The encounter resulted in significant head injuries. BJP MLA Shankar Ghosh, who was also in the area distributing relief materials, claimed he was also assaulted by the mob.
The incident ignited a fierce political dispute within the state, with the BJP quickly accusing the ruling TMC of planning the attack against their elected officials. In response, the TMC countered that the opposition was more focused on opportunistic photography in the disaster-affected areas rather than contributing to the relief efforts.
The political tensions escalated further when West Bengal BJP President Samik Bhattacharya made controversial claims regarding the identity of the attackers. On Tuesday, Bhattacharya alleged that Murmu and Ghosh were assaulted by “illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and Rohingyas” in Jalpaiguri on Monday. He further accused “jihadi” elements, allegedly supported by the ruling TMC, of orchestrating the attack.
In light of these allegations, Bhattacharya called for an investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). He emphasized that the central government was taking the situation seriously, asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were actively monitoring developments and would not allow such groups to exert influence in the state.
Bhattacharya stated, “The attack was perpetrated by illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and Rohingyas. ‘Jihadi’ elements, patronized by the ruling TMC, carried out the unprovoked attack on our two senior leaders who went to Nagrakata to meet the flood and landslide-affected people and distribute relief materials.”
