Bengali actor Payel Mukherjee was reportedly assaulted by a bike-riding assailant while driving her car on Friday night in Kolkata. The incident occurred on Southern Avenue amidst ongoing protests in the city following the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.
Payel Mukherjee took to her social media to share a video describing the harrowing experience. In the video, she explained that a young man on a motorcycle stopped his bike in front of her SUV and demanded that she step out of her vehicle. When she refused to comply, fearing for her safety, the man allegedly smashed her car’s right side window, injuring her hand and leaving her visibly distressed.
“As I refused to come out, fearing for my safety, the man banged on the glass of my right-side window and broke it into pieces, injuring my hand,” Mukherjee said in the video, speaking in Bengali as she sobbed. “I don’t know where we stand now. If a woman can be accosted and harassed in such a way on a busy street in the evening, it shows the real situation. And this happens amid rallies all over the city on the issue of women’s safety,” she added.
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The actor further expressed her fear, stating, “I shudder to think what would have happened if this incident had taken place in a deserted area.”
Mukherjee also shared another video showing local residents standing around the scene while she recorded details of the miscreant’s motorcycle.
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Police Action and Ongoing Investigation
Following the incident, Mukherjee filed a complaint, and the police have detained the man involved. According to reports by the news agency PTI, the man claimed that Mukherjee’s car had grazed his bike, which led to the confrontation. However, the actor denied this claim.
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The West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reacted strongly to the incident, criticizing the state government led by Mamata Banerjee. The party’s official handle on X (formerly Twitter) shared Mukherjee’s video, condemning the state of law and order in Kolkata. “Now Bengali actress Payel Mukherjee goes live fearing for her life while being abused and attacked by a bike-borne assailant right in Kolkata’s Southern Avenue. Wonder what State Home Minister Mamata Banerjee has just reduced Kolkata to a nightmare for women. And her adviser asking women to stay away from night duties,” the BJP’s post read.
Context: Protests Over Kolkata Rape-Murder Case
The attack on Mukherjee occurred against the backdrop of intense protests in Kolkata following the shocking rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor. Her body was found in a semi-naked state in a seminar hall at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. The autopsy report indicated that she was sexually assaulted before being strangled and smothered to death. The accused, Sanjoy Roy, was arrested and is believed to have committed the crime after severely injuring the victim.
The horrific incident has sparked widespread outrage and protests, particularly among the medical community. On August 14, several women doctors staged a candlelight protest in Kolkata. However, the demonstration was marred by violence when a mob entered the RG Kar Hospital campus, damaging vehicles, public property, and hospital facilities, including the emergency department, nursing unit, and medicine store.
The incident involving Payel Mukherjee has further highlighted the concerns around women’s safety in Kolkata, intensifying the ongoing discussions and protests in the city.
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