It was the first instance of public anger erupting against a political leader who, until a month ago, was an unquestioned power centre in West Bengal.
Twenty-five days after the Bengal Assembly poll results, this was the Trinamool Congress national general secretary's first public event.
A reminder to an arrogant leader who loved to throw up phrases like "kaun baaper beta".
No Trinamool leader or worker from Sonarpur accompanied the party's national general secretary at the spot.
Outside the Karmakar residence, men, women and children threatened the Trinamool national general secretary.
Several women alleged that they had been forced to leave their homes after receiving threats from local Trinamool leaders.
"We want to ask him why he didn't protect us. Why were women left unprotected?" a woman asked.
TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee was roughed up on Saturday, allegedly by locals, when he visited West Bengal's Sonarpur area to meet families of post-poll violence victims, police said.
Stones, shoes and eggs were hurled at the TMC MP by unidentified people who even attempted to rain blows and kicks on him, while they shouted 'thief' slogans at Banerjee.
He had gone to Sonarpur to meet the family members of Sanju Karmakar, a victim of post-poll violence in Ward 9 of Rajpur-Sonarpur Municipality's Vivekanandanagar area.
The visit had been announced on Friday night. The moment Abhishek stepped out of his vehicle, he was greeted with chants of "chor, chor" (thief). One woman demonstrator screamed at a TV channel:
"He had the habit of throwing challenges to everyone. When Hindu families were attacked in Sonarpur... he was no where. He spoke about playing DJ after May 4. We are here to play DJ for him (sic)".
TMC supremo and former chief minister Mamata Banerjee had also faced similar slogans on May 14 from lawyers and protestors at the Calcutta High Court.
On Thursday, senior TMC MP Sougata Roy experienced a similarly volatile ambush at the Nimta police station, where the 78-year-old leader was heckled by an angry crowd that not only chanted the "chor chor" slogans but also escalated the protest by hurling eggs at his vehicle.
From his SUV, Abhishek switched to a bike, which soon came under attack. He later walked to the Karmakar residence wearing a helmet, with his shirt torn, surrounded by security personnel and a handful of Trinamool supporters from Bhabanipur.
"Why is he here? He must have come here to take money. Why didn't he go to Panihati after the doctor was raped and killed?" asked a woman resident. The locals were also angry over lack of civic amenities in their localities.
Accompanied by his security personnel, Abhishek entered the Karmakar residence on Kamrabad Sarat Sarani.
Security personnel escorted him into the residence with a police helmet on and his shirt tattered as the crowd turned aggressive. State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said the local police should take action.
"The BJP does not engage in such kind of politics. Police should take action," Bhattacharya said.
"People remember what our former women's wing chief Roopa Ganguly (elected MLA from Sonarpur South) had to face. People of Bengal have voted for a change against this politics of violence."
"It is because the BJP is in power and we applied restraints; many TMC leaders are safe and living today. Had TMC come to power... I would not be here today and 500 BJP workers would have been killed... And if any other party, Left or Congress was in power, the TMC leaders would not be there to lecture today," Samik said.
Personnel from central forces accompanied by officers from Sonarpur police station, have reached ward 9 to rescue the Diamond Harbour MP. After being holed up inside the Karnakar residence for over 90 minutes, Abhishek was escorted by the central forces and local police while a mob chased the vehicle, shouting abuses.
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