Protesters Attack Mamata Banerjee's Vehicle in West Bengal

Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was targeted by protesters on Sunday, August 9, 2026, while visiting the family of Birju Keot, a Trinamool Congress (TMC) worker who died in police custody in Halisahar. Protesters in Bijpur, North 24 Parganas, surrounded her convoy, shouting "thief" slogans and pelting her vehicle with stones, bricks, mud, and footwear. Banerjee condemned the incident as a conspiracy and accused the administration of protecting "lumpens" and BJP supporters while failing to provide her security.

Trinamool Congress leaders Kalyan Banerjee and Dola Sen characterized the event as a targeted attempt to murder, alleging that hundreds of BJP workers participated while police acted as silent spectators. The unrest follows the death of Birju Keot, who was arrested on extortion charges and died Saturday; while his wife alleges he was beaten in lock-up, police sources suggested a possible heart attack pending an autopsy report.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari dismissed the claims, asserting that police provided adequate security and that the protest reflected public anger toward the TMC. BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya and State Minister Agnimitra Paul condemned the violence and denied party involvement, though BJP MLA Sudipta Das accused Banerjee of using the custodial death to seek political mileage and media attention.