Siliguri, October 7, 2025 – West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited injured Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Khagen Murmu at a private hospital in Siliguri on Tuesday. Murmu is receiving treatment after being attacked in Nagarkata, Jalpaiguri district, while visiting flood and landslide-affected areas in North Bengal.
The incident occurred on Monday when Murmu and BJP MLA Shankar Ghosh were surrounded and attacked by a large group of locals while inspecting relief work in the flood-hit Dooars region. Stones were pelted at Murmu's car, leaving him with severe head injuries, including a fractured bone below his eye. Visuals from the scene showed the MP bleeding profusely. Ghosh was also injured in the attack. Murmu may require surgery to treat his facial injuries.
Banerjee's visit to Murmu in the hospital is seen by some as an act of political courtesy. She spoke with doctors and assured the MP of the state government's assistance, wishing him a speedy recovery. Banerjee spoke to Murmu and his family members inside the ICU. She later said that he is stable now and has a small injury under the ear. However, she did not meet with BJP MLA Shankar Ghosh, who is admitted to the same hospital.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has drawn a parallel between the attack on Murmu and the injury sustained by Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram. The TMC posted on X that Banerjee embodies the ethos that humanity must rise above politics when adversity strikes. They stated that for her, compassion knows no political boundaries, because service to humanity is the truest service to God.
The BJP has alleged that the attack was carried out by people affiliated with the ruling Trinamool Congress. Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar condemned the attack and blamed the TMC for targeting party leaders engaged in relief work. BJP's Bengal unit has alleged that the TMC is using terror to destabilize the SIR exercise in Bengal even before it begins. BJP leaders have blamed TMC and Mamata Banerjee for the attack. Visuals shared by MLA Sankar Ghosh showed BJP MP Khagen Murmu bleeding from his face after the assault. Ghosh alleged that they were "kicked, punched and pelted with stones" by people "linked to the ruling TMC".
The TMC has dismissed the allegations as "photo-op politics," saying the BJP leaders had provoked locals amid the crisis. North Bengal Development Minister Udayan Guha stated that the TMC does not support any violence, but the locals were agitated and suffering. The attack has sparked a political row between the ruling TMC and the opposition BJP. The BJP questioned why no one was arrested after the attack.
The Lok Sabha secretariat has requested a factual note from the Union Home Ministry within three days regarding the attack on BJP MP Khagen Murmu in West Bengal.
The incident occurred during a BJP delegation's visit to Jalpaiguri district, which, along with Darjeeling and Alipurduar, has been severely affected by heavy rainfall, flood and landslides between October 4 and 5, leading to the death of at least 24 people. The incessant rains triggered flash floods and landslides in Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, and surrounding areas, displacing hundreds of residents.
