KNIFE-ATTACK ALLEGATION OUTSIDE KALIGHAT RESIDENCE SPARKS SECURITY ALARM, TRINAMOOL QUESTIONS HOW WOMAN REACHED MAMATA BANERJEE
October 13, 2026
Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee allegedly faced an attempted attack outside her Kalighat residence on Tuesday evening after a woman, reportedly in an intoxicated condition, abused her and attempted to strike her with a knife, triggering serious questions from the Trinamool Congress over the security arrangements protecting the party chief.
The incident reportedly occurred as Banerjee was leaving to inaugurate a Durga Puja pandal in Kalighat. According to Trinamool Congress MLA Kunal Ghosh, the woman suddenly fell in front of Banerjee, began shouting abusive language and attempted to strike her on the foot with a knife.
“Mamata di was walking when this woman fell in front of her and started abusing her. She was also carrying a knife and tried to hit her on the foot,” Ghosh said, describing the incident as suspicious and suggesting that it might have been pre-planned.
The Trinamool Congress identified the woman as Tannishtha Saha and claimed that she was a civic volunteer. The circumstances surrounding her alleged actions and the precise sequence of events were not immediately established.
The incident prompted Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen to lodge a formal complaint at Kalighat police station. In her complaint, Sen alleged that the woman had claimed to be a niece of Banerjee and questioned how she had managed to approach the former chief minister despite the Z-plus security cover afforded to her.
Sen also submitted photographs to the police as part of her complaint. She described the alleged conduct as deeply concerning, arguing that the episode raised questions about the effectiveness of the security arrangements around a high-profile political leader.
The Trinamool Congress has suggested that the incident warrants close scrutiny, particularly because Banerjee's security arrangements are designed to prevent unauthorised individuals from approaching her. The party's allegations that the episode may have been pre-planned have not yet been established as fact, and the circumstances require investigation.
The incident occurred against the backdrop of an intense political confrontation over the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Banerjee had returned to Kolkata the previous night after spending the weekend in Delhi meeting INDIA bloc leaders and participating in protests demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation.
Banerjee had also called for a rally from Rajabazar to Park Circus to protest against the SIR exercise. Although she did not attend the march herself, other Trinamool Congress leaders participated.
The alleged incident outside her Kalighat residence has added a fresh security concern to an already charged political atmosphere in West Bengal. With the Trinamool Congress questioning how the woman allegedly reached the former chief minister and raising suspicions about possible planning, attention is likely to focus on the police investigation, the circumstances of the confrontation and the adequacy of the protective arrangements.
The immediate questions remain whether the woman was carrying a knife, what motivated the alleged confrontation and how she was able to approach Banerjee. The complaint lodged by Sen places those questions before the police, while the Trinamool Congress has called attention to the wider implications for the security of political leaders.
