Clashes Erupt at TMC Rally in Kolkata; Mamata Blames BJP Government for Lawlessness
Violence broke out at a Trinamool Congress (TMC) procession in Kolkata on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, as party supporters clashed with workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). TMC chief and former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP-led state government of allowing lawlessness to prevail since it came to power two months ago.
According to a TMC statement issued Wednesday evening, 41 party workers, supporters, and leaders were injured and admitted to SSKM Hospital after being subjected to physical assault by BJP supporters. The statement referred to the attackers as 'goons'.
Speaking at a protest outside her home after the violence erupted, Banerjee said, 'They are keeping a watch on us. But when a girl is raped, there the police are not available... Both men and women have been manhandled and physically abused by goons they [the BJP] have hired. Is this the ‘paribartan’ (change) that the people of Bengal had desired?'
The TMC rally was organized to protest the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl in Baruipur, which had sparked tensions across the state. The procession was planned to move from Hazra Crossing to Ballygunge Phari, but clashes between TMC and BJP workers began in the Hazra area and spread to multiple locations along the route.
Banerjee did not join the rally in person because the High Court had capped the number of participants. She came out of her home to address protesters when violence began. She alleged that TMC workers were being prevented from moving freely and were effectively under 'house arrest'. She also claimed that police had seized their hand-held microphones despite High Court permission to use them.
Comparing the situation in West Bengal to Uttar Pradesh, Banerjee said lawlessness in Bengal was now worse. She criticized those who had defected from TMC, urging them to either remain loyal or join the BJP directly rather than maintaining divided loyalties. She also alleged that bike rallies were being allowed in front of her home in Kalighat to intimidate her.
In response, BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya described West Bengal as a free and democratic state, saying Banerjee could hold as many rallies as she wanted. He said, 'There were no such protests during her time when atrocities happened, that is why people removed her from power. People had trusted her and replaced the Left, but she broke that trust. That is why Trinamool has been wiped out.'
