Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister on Saturday, April 6, defended the attack on NIA officers saying that the protest happened as the NIA team entered the area without informing the local police. Officers of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) were attacked in Purba Medinipur district on Saturday while carrying out a probe in connection with Bhupatinagar blast case. 

Mamata Banerjee Went on to claim that the ones who attacked the NIA officers were acting in self-defence. She said, “The attack was not carried out by women of Bhupatinagar, it was by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Will the women sit back if they are attacked?” Banerjee claimed that the NIA team has arrested Trinamool office bearers. “Don't arrest my booth-level workers and election agents,” said the Trinamool Congress chief alleging that the probe agencies had come to Bengal to support the BJP. 

She questioned why the NIA team didnot inform the local police before making the arrests. “Why did they raid at midnight? Did they have police permission? Locals reacted in the way they would have if any other stranger had visited the place at midnight. Why are they arresting people right before the elections? What does the BJP think, that they will arrest every booth agent? What right does NIA have? They are doing all these to support the BJP. We call upon the entire world to fight against this BJP's dirty politics,” said Mamata Banerjee. 

A Repeat of Sandeshkhali? 

A vehicle carrying NIA officials was on Saturday attacked by villagers in Bhupatinagar, where they had gone to investigate a 2022 bomb blast case in which three persons were killed, police said. The investigation was later handed over to the NIA.

The probe team arrested two persons in connection with the case and when they were on the way back to Kolkata, their vehicle came under attack. Later, the NIA team lodged a complaint at Bhupatinagar police station. NIA officers had sustained minor injuries during the attack.