Mamata’s 2021 Nandigram injury claim to face fresh probe, says Suvendu

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said the government would launch a fresh inquiry into Mamata Banerjee’s 2021 Nandigram leg injury, alleging she had faked it. He cited a medical report and said details would follow after the Model Code of Conduct is lifted

Kolkata: The West Bengal government will launch a fresh inquiry into Mamata Banerjee’s alleged “false claims” of a leg injury during the 2021 Assembly poll campaign, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Saturday.

Addressing a press conference at the state secretariat Nabanna, Adhikari alleged that Banerjee had faked her injury during the elections.

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“Mamata Banerjee faked her leg injury during campaigning in Nandigram in 2021. We have the medical report which stated that there was no evidence of fracture or dislocation. We will initiate an investigation into the matter,” Adhikari said, while displaying what he identified as Banerjee’s medical report issued by the Bangur Institute of Neuroscience.

“Her false allegation insulted the people of Nandigram. I will come out with more details after the MCC (Model Code of Conduct) is lifted after October 9… Today, I am saying this in support of my claims made yesterday,” he said.

A by-election will be held in Nandigram on October 6, with the results to be announced on October 9.

Adhikari had made the claim while addressing a rally at Birulia Bazaar in Nandigram II development block, the same location where Banerjee sustained her injury five years ago.

Banerjee, then the chief minister, sustained injuries to her left leg and waist in the Reyapara area of Birulia in Nandigram on March 10, 2021, during her election campaign.

Banerjee had initially stated that a few unknown persons deliberately pushed her against the open car door, causing it to slam hard against her left leg and crush it amid a heavy crowd.

In a subsequent video message from the hospital, she recounted that the massive crowd had pressed against her car while she was greeting supporters, causing her leg to be crushed and injured.

She was diagnosed with severe bone injuries to her left ankle and foot, along with bruising and pain in her right shoulder, forearm, neck and waist, and was rushed back to Kolkata and admitted to the state-run SSKM Hospital.

Following extensive tests, Banerjee was discharged on March 12, with her left foot in a cast, and continued her subsequent campaign in a wheelchair.

The Trinamool Congress registered a victory in those polls, winning 216 of the 294 seats, while the BJP won 77.