Who is Tannishtha Saha? Woman at centre of allegations of attacking Mamata Banerjee with knife
According to Sen’s complaint, the woman began abusing people and tried to approach Banerjee aggressively when the former Chief Minister stepped out of her residence around 6 pm.
PTC News Desk: A woman allegedly tried to attack former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with a knife outside her residence in Kalighat on Tuesday evening, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has claimed.
However, police described the incident as an altercation and did not mention any knife in their statement.
In a police complaint, TMC general secretary Dola Sen identified the woman as Tannishtha Saha, a civic volunteer who allegedly claimed to be Banerjee’s niece. However, police later identified the detained woman as 38-year-old Anusua Saha.
According to Sen’s complaint, the woman began abusing people and tried to approach Banerjee aggressively when the former Chief Minister stepped out of her residence around 6 pm. Sen also alleged that the woman was intoxicated and lay down on the road in an attempt to harm Banerjee.
Police said the woman confronted Banerjee as she was leaving her residence, leading to a heated argument. Security personnel detained her, and TMC members later filed a complaint.
Who is the woman and why she approached Mamata Banerjee ?
The TMC complaint identified the woman as Tannishtha Saha and described her as a civic volunteer. Civic volunteers are contractual workers who assist the West Bengal and Kolkata Police with traffic management, crowd control and public safety.
However, police identified the detained woman as Anusua Saha. The available statements do not explain why she approached Banerjee. The allegation that she tried to attack the former Chief Minister with a knife has also not been independently confirmed.
The TMC faction led by Banerjee further alleged that the woman was a drug addict and questioned how she managed to approach the residence of a person protected under the Z-plus security category. These claims have not been independently established. TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale shared a copy of the complaint on X, alleging that a drug addict had reached Banerjee’s residence and tried to attack her with a knife. He also raised the possibility of a political conspiracy but did not provide evidence to support the claim.
Earlier incidents involving TMC leaders
The incident comes amid claims by TMC leaders that party members have faced attacks since the party lost power in West Bengal in May, after three consecutive terms in government.
In August, Banerjee claimed that a large stone was thrown at her car in Kolkata’s Shyambazar area. She said the incident left her with chest pain that continued for several days. In May, shortly after the Assembly election results were announced, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s vehicle was allegedly targeted with stones and eggs in South 24 Parganas, a district considered his political stronghold.
The vehicle of Bibhas Sardar, the MLA from Baruipur Purba, was also allegedly attacked on Saturday. Sardar claimed that a mob surrounded his vehicle, threatened to kill him and threw a brick at the windshield. He said he escaped without injuries.