‘Injured’ in Nandigram Attack, Mamata Discharged from Hosp after Repeated Pleas; Leaves on Wheelchair

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, who suffered multiple injuries after being ‘heckled’ during a campaign in Nandigram on Wednesday, was discharged from SSKM College Hospital on Friday evening. The chief minister was seen coming out of the state-run super-specialty hospital in Kolkata on a wheelchair around 7pm.

Doctors treating her said the ‘traumatised’ chief minister was under observation for 48 hours. They further said that after examining her health parameters, they decided to release Banerjee after she ‘repeatedly’ insisted on the same. She was reportedly asked by the doctors to take utmost care and use a wheelchair while going to public places. A medical board of four doctors will continue to supervise her health condition for the next few days.

A senior doctor at the hospital said, “The medical board examined her condition today. She has responded well to our treatment. We have found improvement in her health and it is satisfactory. We have examined the internal injury after removing the plaster and the haematoma size has considerably reduced. There is a sign of improvement in her ankle injuries.”

“We will re-examine her after seven days and put up the plaster again. We have advised her to stay in the hospital for 48 hours, but she insisted that she want to go home. She was advised to take utmost care while going to public places,” the doctor said.

On Wednesday, Banerjee was injured in her left leg after she was allegedly heckled in Nandigram while getting into her car during a rally in Birulia Bazar in East Midnapore. She was interacting with the locals when suddenly the situation became chaotic due to a crowd and she fell down. It all happened all of a sudden. Her security guards rushed to the spot and helped her to get into the backseat. She told her security guards that she suffered a severe leg injury and also complained of chest pain.

While getting into the backseat of her car, Banerjee who was seen gasping heavily, told reporters, “Look at my leg. There is swelling. I am feeling feverish. Please leave me alone now. I am having chest pain. Not feeling well. I want to go to Kolkata for treatment.”

“It was a planned attack on me. It was a conspiracy. The attack was planned well as there were no policemen around me. There were a couple of men in the crowd who pushed the door of my car and left me badly injured. Please allow me to go to a hospital,” she added. Soon after, she was rushed to the SSKM College and Hospital.

The West Bengal government’s report to the Election Commission, however, has no mention of the “four-five persons”, who Banerjee had alleged had attacked her, an official of the state CEO’s office said. It, however, referred to the presence of a huge crowd at the spot where the incident took place, he said.

The report also mentioned that there was no clear footage available of the spot where the incident took place from anywhere in the vicinity, he said. Banerjee had been injured at Birulia bazar in Nandigram in East Midnapore district on March 10 while campaigning hours after she filed her nomination from the seat.

“The only CCTV in the area which was in a shop was not working. Even the versions of the locals, considered to be eyewitnesses of the incident, was mixed. So reaching a conclusion is not possible,” a senior official of the district administration told PTI. The EC had sought a report from the state chief secretary and the two observers appointed for the state for the coming Assembly poll following the incident.

(With PTI inputs)