Kolkata: An unidentified youth slapped Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, the nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, when he was addressing a public meeting in East Midnapore on Sunday. The party claimed it could be a planned attack on life of Banerjee, widely perceived as his aunt's political heir.
The incident led to chaos as party workers thrashed the attacker severely and later went on a rampage, targeting policemen and media personnel at the meeting convened by the Trinamool Youth Congress (TYC) in Chandipur.
Taking security personnel and party workers unawares, the youth mounted the dais while seemingly clicking photos on his mobile phone and came close to Banerjee.
Before anyone could react, the attacker - donning a cap - slapped the leader on the face soon after he had started his speech. Taken aback, Banerjee moved back, and the youth's second attempt to hit him did not succeed.
The Trinamool Youth Congress workers and leaders, present on the dais, sprung into action, caught hold of the youth and started beating him up after pinning him on to the ground.
He was then taken below the stage and thrashed mercilessly by the enraged party workers. The seriously-injured youth has been admitted in the local health centre.
Abhishek Banerjee, MP from Diamond Harbour heads the TYC.
Trinamool spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien later trmed the incident as "unfortunate", but claimed it "may have been a plan to attack our MP Abhishek Banerjee & threaten his life".
"Now, it is upto the administration to inquire into the matter and the law to take its course," O'Brien tweeted.
The attack on Banerjee triggered pandemonium at the meeting venue, as TYC workers turned their wrath on police and media personnel. Several policemen sustained injuries, while the representative of an electronic channel had to be rushed to the hospital after he was beaten up with bamboo canes. His camera was also broken into pieces.
Later, Trinamool workers put up a road blockade.