A mysterious “push” probably behind Mamata Banerjee’s fall, suggests hospital director

Mamata Banerjee sustained injuries including a deep gash on her forehead, a cut on the nose, and concussion following a fall at her residence in Kalighat on Thursday evening. The director of the state-run SSKM Hospital told ToI that the injuries appeared to have been caused by “some push from behind.”

Around 7:30 pm, the Chief Minister of Bengal was admitted to the Woodburn Ward of the hospital. Medical professionals addressed the bleeding and subsequently treated the wound on her forehead with three stitches, while the cut on her nose required only one stitch. Following the recommendations of a multidisciplinary medical team, she underwent various procedures including a CT scan and an MRI. By 9:45 pm, she was discharged and returned home.

“We wanted to find out whether the fall was an accident or she suffered any fluctuation in blood pressure,” a health department official told.

Mamata Banerjee accident: Conspiracy Theory
The narrative surrounding Mamata’s fall shifted significantly at approximately 11 pm, as SSKM director Manimoy Bandyopadhyay hinted at a potential external force being responsible for the incident. Rather than attributing it to a simple trip, Bandyopadhyay suggested the possibility of an unknown “push” leading to her injuries. However, he refrained from providing further details regarding the specific cause.“Investigations like ECG and CT scan were done. She was advised admission for observation, but she preferred to go home. She will continue to be under close watch. She will be assessed on Friday,” Bandyopadhyay told ToI.

Kajari Banerjee, Mamata’s sister-in-law and a Trinamool councillor, added to the conspiracy theory, saying she heard that “Didi fell after a dhakka”. The Bengali word can be interpreted variously, including “impact after colliding with something”.

“I wasn’t present but spoke to my wife, who accompanied Didi to SSKM Hospital,” Kajari’s husband Kartik Banerjee said.

Another family member said Mamata “fell face first and hit the sharp edge of a small cabinet”.On Thursday evening, the CM attended an event near south Kolkata’s Gariahat, not far from her Kalighat home, to unveil the statue of the late Trinamool leader Subrata Mukherjee. Soon after returning home, she fell and injured herself.

PM Narendra Modi wrote Mamata a get-well message on X. “I pray for a quick recovery and the best health for Mamata Didi,” he posted.

Earlier in March 2021, Banerjee suffered a ligament injury in Nandigram while campaigning for the assembly elections. She hit the campaign trail in a wheelchair with a plastered leg.

Last June, the Bengal CM suffered another injury in her left knee and hip during an emergency helicopter landing at the Sevoke airbase in North Bengal. She was brought to SSKM Hospital, where doctors found fluid accumulation in her left knee joint and a ligament injury in the left hip joint.

The Bengal CM had to restrict her movement for several days after that and went through a rehabilitation regimen. The last time she visited the hospital for that injury was in September 2023.