Chaos erupted outside Kolkata Airport on Friday night as supporters of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) clashed shortly before the arrival of TMC National General Secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee from Delhi.
According to eyewitnesses and reports, supporters from both parties had gathered near the airport's arrival terminal ahead of Abhishek Banerjee's return to Kolkata. The situation escalated after a group of BJP supporters allegedly arrived carrying eggs, triggering a confrontation with TMC workers who had assembled to receive the party leader.
What began as a verbal altercation quickly descended into a scuffle, with members of both camps allegedly exchanging blows and abuses near the arrival gates. The clash caused panic among passengers and led to traffic congestion in the airport vicinity.
Police and airport security personnel rushed to the spot and intervened to separate the rival groups. The situation was eventually brought under control, although tensions remained high for some time. Amid fears of further unrest, security agencies decided to alter Abhishek Banerjee's exit route. Instead of using the main arrival gate, the TMC leader was escorted out of the airport through an alternative exit under heavy security cover.
Banerjee arrived in Kolkata at around 9.45 pm after returning from Delhi, where he had met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla earlier in the day. He left the airport without interacting with supporters waiting outside. The Trinamool Congress alleged that BJP workers had deliberately gathered at the airport with the intention of targeting Banerjee.
A TMC supporter told ANI that party workers had assembled peacefully to welcome the MP when BJP activists arrived carrying eggs. "We requested them not to encourage this kind of political culture, but they responded by saying we had started it," the supporter said. The supporter further alleged that some BJP workers behaved aggressively towards TMC members and claimed that a few individuals were carrying weapons. "We asked the CRPF to remove them. They took out arms at the airport. How could they bring weapons into such a high-security area in the presence of airport authorities?" he said.
The Trinamool Congress later issued a strongly worded statement on social media, accusing the BJP of creating a volatile situation and alleging a breakdown in law and order. "Such is the condition of law and order under Suvendu Adhikari's watch that criminals now roam freely, emboldened enough to carry out brazen attacks with absolute impunity," the party said in a post on X. The party also questioned whether the incident amounted to a "state-sponsored attempt to eliminate a political opponent".
The confrontation occurred against the backdrop of an escalating political crisis within the Trinamool Congress. Earlier in the day, Abhishek Banerjee met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and submitted 20 separate disqualification petitions against rebel TMC MPs. The petitions relate to a group of 20 MPs who have broken ranks with the party and sought recognition as a separate bloc in the Lok Sabha. The rebel faction, led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, has also announced plans to merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), a registered but unrecognised political party based in Howrah. Banerjee has argued that the rebels' actions violate the anti-defection provisions of the Constitution and has urged the Speaker not to recognise any separate faction within the Trinamool Congress. The Speaker is expected to take a decision after considering submissions from both the TMC leadership and the rebel MPs.
