Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesman Debjit Sarkar on 31 May shared a video on social media purportedly showing All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee threatening the Chief Executive Officer of a private hospital at Minto Park in central Kolkata on Saturday night, demanding the admission of her nephew and TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee — despite a medical certificate from the same hospital stating no admission was required.

The Incident at Sonarpur

The chain of events began on Saturday afternoon when Abhishek Banerjee, also a Lok Sabha member, travelled to Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas district to meet the family of a slain TMC worker, reportedly a victim of post-poll violence. A group of local residents, including several women, allegedly harassed, heckled, and assaulted him at the location. Security forces subsequently escorted him out of Sonarpur.

He was first taken to a private hospital near the East Metropolitan Bypass. Mamata Banerjee arrived there shortly after and alleged the facility was not providing adequate treatment to her nephew.

Hospital Certificate and the Confrontation

Abhishek Banerjee was then transferred to a second private hospital at Minto Park, central Kolkata, where he was taken to the Intensive Treatment Unit (ITU) for examination. Following a thorough assessment, the hospital issued a medical certificate stating 'no admission required', noting that no major internal injuries had been detected and that Banerjee was fully conscious. The hospital prescribed medicines, including a digestive tablet.

It was at this point, according to the video shared by Sarkar, that Mamata Banerjee allegedly confronted the hospital's CEO, pressing for her nephew's admission contrary to the medical finding. Sarkar, in his post, claimed this amounted to an attempt to 'misuse medical institutions for political narratives.'

What the BJP Said

Quoting the medical certificate, BJP spokesman Debjit Sarkar said: 'It represents a disturbing attempt to misuse medical institutions for political narratives. Hospitals exist to serve patients based on medical necessity, not political convenience. Any effort to intimidate doctors, administrators, or healthcare institutions undermines public trust and violates the basic principles of democracy and governance.'

The BJP has framed the episode as an example of political pressure being applied on independent healthcare institutions.

Mamata Banerjee's Counter-Allegations

Mamata Banerjee, however, alleged the opposite — that both hospitals had refused admission and proper treatment due to pressure from the state administration. She specifically claimed that a deputy commissioner of Kolkata Police had directed the second hospital not to admit Abhishek. 'First, they won the elections through forgery and hooliganism. After that, they assaulted Abhishek. And now finally, they have pressurised so that he was not properly treated,' she told reporters before leaving the hospital premises with her nephew.

She also claimed that Congress Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi called her and assured full cooperation in arranging treatment at any hospital outside West Bengal.

Where Things Stand

Abhishek Banerjee subsequently returned to his residence on Kalighat Road in south Kolkata, close to Mamata Banerjee's home. The competing claims — BJP alleging political intimidation of a hospital, TMC alleging police pressure to deny treatment — remain unverified by independent sources. The episode is likely to intensify political tensions in West Bengal in the wake of the state's post-poll violence controversy.