Kolkata: West Bengal’s chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, believes that a conspiracy is responsible for a road accident that severely injured her nephew and Trinamool Congress (TMC) parliamentarian Abhishek Banerjee on National Highway 2 while he was returning to Kolkata from Murshidabad.
Speaking to reporters, Banerjee expressed her concern about the cause of the accident. “He [Abhishek] has survived due to wishes of the people. He had a narrow escape. Police will investigate as to how a person enjoying high level of security can meet with such near fatal accident,” the chief minister said.
Abhishek is out of danger but will remain in the hospital for few more days as he has suffered few broken bones and deep cuts. “The condition of Abhishek Banerjee is much better. He is completely out of danger. The CT scan report was normal. An MRI has also been conducted today. We are waiting for the report and are planning to shift him to a normal cabin in a day or two,” said CEO of Belle Vue Clinic P. Tandon.
Abhishek’s father and Banerjee’s elder brother, Amit Banerjee, who was at his son’s bedside all through Tuesday evening told Gulf News, “It could have been fatal. He has been saved by a whisker. It will take him some more time to return to normal life.”
State police have initiated an investigation into the incident. The forensic team of Kolkata police reached the crash site this morning and collected samples of the broken car to gauge if the accident was an intentional act. Police had filed a murder case against unknown assailants.
“It look[s] like any other accident, but there could be negligence on someone’s part,” said a member of the investigating team. The forensic report is awaited and police refuse to comment before the same.
Eyewitness however say that the SUV was moving at breakneck speed and while trying to overtake a car ahead of it when the driver rammed the vehicle straight into it. “It was the mistake of the driver who was driving at over 100km/h. The lane has been shortened so that heavy vehicles working at the Singur car plant can move. In spite of that he was driving at high speed,” said Manju, who works at a tea shop near the accident site.
