Key facts
- Mamata Banerjee slapped a TMC worker on camera at a Kolkata rally
- BJP shared the video widely on social media
- TMC and BJP supporters clashed at the same protest event
- Eggs thrown at Banerjee's rally; hecklers shouted 'chor, chor'
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was filmed slapping a Trinamool Congress worker during a public protest event in Kolkata on Thursday, in an incident that rapidly went viral after the BJP shared the video across social media platforms.
The episode unfolded as TMC and BJP supporters clashed at the same Kolkata rally, with the atmosphere already inflamed by outrage over the Baruipur minor rape-murder case. Hecklers were separately seen throwing eggs at Banerjee's convoy and shouting 'chor, chor' at her rally, underscoring the depth of anger directed at her administration.
The BJP seized on the footage of Banerjee striking the TMC worker as evidence of an administration in disarray, circulating it widely as part of a sustained effort to hold the state government accountable for law and order failures. Political observers noted the irony of the incident occurring during what was nominally a protest event organised by the ruling party itself.
For Mamata Banerjee, the moment compounds an already difficult week. Her government faces mounting pressure over the Baruipur case, the subsequent police encounter that killed the prime accused before trial, and street clashes between her party and the BJP. The video adds a personal dimension to what has become a full-blown political crisis for the TMC government in Bengal.