A high-profile political dispute dating back to the 2021 West Bengal assembly elections has resurfaced. The state administration has decided to initiate a fresh inquiry into the leg injury sustained by Mamata Banerjee during her election campaign in Nandigram. Suvendu Adhikari has claimed that the severity of the incident was exaggerated at the time and stated that an official probe is needed to establish the facts.
Questions Raised Over Medical Reports
Suvendu Adhikari brought up the issue during an election event in Nandigram before addressing a press conference at the state secretariat, Nabanna. He presented medical documentation attributed to the Bangur Institute of Neurosciences, asserting that the imaging records showed no evidence of any bone fracture or dislocation in the examined areas.
Speaking to the media, Adhikari alleged that the incident had been framed dishonestly to secure an electoral advantage. Adhikari said, “Mamata Banerjee had falsely presented her leg injury during the 2021 Nandigram campaign.” He announced that the state government would launch an official inquiry, adding that full operational details would be made public after October 9 because of the prevailing model code of conduct.
The Events of March 10, 2021 in Nandigram
The controversy stems from March 10, 2021, when Mamata Banerjee was campaigning in the Raypara area of Birulia within Nandigram. Following the incident, she stated that several individuals pushed against her vehicle, causing the car door to slam hard against her leg and resulting in severe trauma.
She was immediately transferred to Kolkata and admitted to SSKM Hospital. In a video message released from the hospital bed shortly afterward, she explained that a surging crowd had pressed against her vehicle while she was greeting supporters, trapping her foot between the door and the vehicle frame.
Hospital Findings and the Wheelchair Campaign
Medical bulletins released by SSKM Hospital at the time noted injuries affecting the bone and ligaments of her left ankle and foot, alongside pain and trauma across her right shoulder, neck, arm, and waist.
Medical personnel applied a plaster cast to her leg before discharging her from the facility. Banerjee subsequently conducted the remainder of the high-stakes election campaign from a wheelchair, turning the visual into a major centerpiece of her political outreach across the state.
Observer Findings and Election Commission Ruling
The incident immediately prompted conflicting claims over whether it represented an accidental collision or a premeditated assault. To clarify the situation, the Election Commission sought a detailed factual report from its two special observers, Vivek Dubey and Ajay Nayak.
The observers concluded in their findings that the episode was an accident rather than a planned ambush on the convoy. The Election Commission concurred, stating that available records did not support allegations of an intentional physical attack. Nevertheless, the poll body identified lapses in protocol and directed administrative action against officers responsible for the chief minister's security detail.
Basis of the New Allegations and Next Steps
The renewed challenge led by Suvendu Adhikari rests heavily on CT scan findings and documentation dated March 11, 2021, from the Bangur Institute of Neurosciences. His central argument is that the absence of demonstrable fractures or joint dislocations contradicts the severe depiction of the injury presented to the public.
Conversely, medical records from SSKM Hospital at the time also documented multiple contusions and soft-tissue trauma spanning other parts of the body. The specific modalities and parameters of the newly announced state probe are expected to be disclosed after October 9, once election code constraints conclude.
