North India Statesman
Reopening one of the most high-stakes political flashpoints in recent West Bengal history, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has ordered a fresh inquiry into Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee’s controversial leg injury sustained during the 2021 Assembly election campaign in Nandigram. Citing official hospital records, Adhikari alleged that the former Chief Minister faked her injury to generate public sympathy, claiming medical diagnostics from state-run health facilities clearly documented that she suffered neither a bone fracture nor any joint dislocation. The announcement comes amid a charged political atmosphere ahead of key assembly by-elections, triggering a fierce war of words between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the opposition Trinamool Congress.
The 2021 Nandigram Incident: A Turning Point in State Politics
The controversy traces back to March 10, 2021, when Mamata Banerjee was campaigning in the Reyapara area of Birulia in Nandigram while contesting a head-to-head assembly battle against Suvendu Adhikari. During an evening public contact drive, she alleged that four to five unidentified individuals deliberately pushed her car door against her leg, crushing her ankle and causing severe soft-tissue and ligament damage amid a surging crowd. Following the incident, she was admitted to the state-run SSKM Hospital and the Bangur Institute of Neurosciences in Kolkata. She was discharged two days later with a plastered left leg and conducted the remainder of her high-decibel campaign across Bengal from a wheelchair—a visual symbol that galvanized her cadre and contributed to a sweeping electoral victory at the time.
Medical Documents and the ‘No Fracture’ Claim
Addressing the media, Suvendu Adhikari presented excerpts from official hospital documentation, asserting that diagnostic scans conducted by state medical boards refuted claims of a debilitating skeletal fracture. According to Adhikari, radiological reports issued during her initial admission unequivocally noted “no fracture” and “no dislocation,” contradicting the narrative of a brutal physical assault. Adhikari questioned how a patient without severe skeletal trauma was placed in an extensive cast and paraded in a wheelchair across the state, calling it calculated political theatrics designed to manipulate voter sentiment and falsely implicate opposition workers.
Fresh Investigation and Rising Political Heat
The state administration confirmed that a formal investigation will review the administrative handling, security reports, and medical clearance certificates issued during the March 2021 episode. Adhikari indicated that further documentary disclosures and administrative findings will be tabled once the prevailing Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is lifted following the upcoming by-polls. While the Trinamool Congress leadership dismissed the move as political vendetta and an attempt to divert attention from governance issues, the probe sets up an intense political confrontation over an event that defined Bengal’s electoral narrative.
