Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Minakshi Mukherjee. Photo: X/@MinakshiMukher8

Eggs were hurled at the car of Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Minakshi Mukherjee at Cooch Behar on Tuesday (July 7, 2026). 

This is the first time a Left leader has faced such an attack after eggs were thrown at senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders across the State following their rout in the Assembly election earlier this year. 

Ms. Mukherjee was in Cooch Behar’s Sitalkuchi area to meet the family of a deceased party worker, Montu Miya, when the incident occurred. 

The CPI(M) central committee member was accompanied by the party’s former MP Alakesh Das, and several other leaders at the time of the incident.  Local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders had carried out the attack, the CPI(M) leaders alleged. 

Ms. Mukherjee documented the attack in a video released on her social media handles. She accused the local police of inaction over the death of her party worker, and on the incident with eggs. Why had she been attacked, what was her fault, she asked.

“All of this happened in front of the police. They stood and watched. Who are they favouring? For all these years, they used to work for Trinamool, and now they are working for the BJP. The government changed in Bengal, but the rule of law could not be established here,” Ms. Mukherjee said in the video.  

Later, CPI(M) leaders staged a protest at the local police station. The Superintendent of Police had assured them at least two of the miscreants who attacked her car had been arrested, according to Ms. Mukherjee, and her party had withdrawn the protest.  

“First, they wanted to give punishment to the corrupt, then they started hurling eggs. Now this has become the BJP’s tactic to stop all free movement of all Opposition leaders,” the CPI(M)’s State secretary Mohammad Salim said on Tuesday (July 7, 2026) after the attack. 

Under the Trinamool regime, the party’s leaders went around with guns and did not allow Opposition leaders, including of the BJP, “to go anywhere”, Mr. Salim said. Once again, similar allegations had come to the fore against the BJP, he added. 

Since they were voted out of power on May 4, Trinamool leaders, including general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, MP Mahua Moitra, MLAs Madan Mitra and Kunal Ghosh, and several others, have had eggs hurled at them in the State.

A public interest litigation case filed at the Calcutta High Court says such attacks were detrimental to the democratic atmosphere of a place.  

Published – July 07, 2026 10:56 pm IST