Nandigram Injury Claim: Suvendu Adhikari cites a 2021 medical document and announces a fresh probe into Mamata Banerjee’s campaign injury after the Nandigram bypoll.
Qalam Times News Network
Kolkata | October 3, 2026
Nandigram Injury Claim has once again become a major political issue in West Bengal, with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari alleging that former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s 2021 campaign injury in Nandigram was wrongly presented as a fracture. Adhikari has said that his government will examine the matter further after the ongoing Nandigram Assembly by-election process is completed.
The Nandigram injury claim, which dates back to the 2021 West Bengal Assembly election campaign, has resurfaced just days before voting in the Nandigram by-election. The Election Commission has scheduled polling for October 6, with counting on October 9.
Suvendu cites medical document, announces investigation after bypoll
Speaking at a press conference at Nabanna, Adhikari displayed what he described as a medical document from the Bangur Institute of Neurosciences relating to Banerjee’s treatment following the March 2021 incident.
According to reports, Adhikari claimed that the document, dated March 11, 2021, contained a reference indicating that there was no evidence of fracture or dislocation. He used the document to challenge the account surrounding the extent of Banerjee’s injury and said that the state government would initiate a fresh investigation into what he described as false claims.
Adhikari had raised the issue during his campaign in Nandigram on Friday and subsequently referred to the medical document at Nabanna. He said that because the Model Code of Conduct is currently in force, he would not elaborate on the matter until the by-election process is over. He indicated that further action would be announced after October 9.
The Chief Minister has also said that the CID had previously investigated aspects of the 2021 incident, and that the government would consider what further steps were appropriate after the election-related restrictions were lifted.
What happened in Nandigram in March 2021?
The controversy goes back to March 10, 2021, when Mamata Banerjee, then West Bengal Chief Minister and a candidate from Nandigram, was injured during an election campaign in the Birulia area.
Banerjee initially said that she had been injured when people in a crowd pushed against her vehicle and that the vehicle’s door struck her leg. She subsequently alleged that the incident was part of a conspiracy. She continued campaigning after being discharged from hospital, using a wheelchair and with her left foot in a cast.
The incident became one of the most prominent flashpoints of the 2021 Bengal election campaign. The Trinamool Congress used the phrase “Khela Hobe” around the campaign, while opposition parties questioned the circumstances surrounding the injury.
However, the medical aspect of the controversy is more complicated than the latest political claims suggest. Reports from the time state that Banerjee was diagnosed with bone and ligament injuries to the left ankle and foot, along with injuries or bruising involving other parts of the body. She was admitted to SSKM Hospital in Kolkata and underwent several medical examinations before being discharged.
A member of the medical board involved in her treatment has also reportedly pointed out that a single scan cannot necessarily be used to assess the patient’s complete medical condition. According to the doctor’s account cited in the Bengali report supplied for this story, the medical team included specialists from orthopaedics, surgery, neuromedicine and neurosurgery, and multiple tests—including X-rays and MRI—were considered in deciding her treatment.
That distinction is important: a document referring to the absence of a fracture in a particular scan is not, by itself, equivalent to a medical finding that the patient suffered no injury at all. The available reporting therefore presents competing claims about the interpretation of the medical records.
Nandigram bypoll scheduled for October 6
The controversy has resurfaced immediately before the Nandigram Assembly by-election. The seat became vacant after Suvendu Adhikari, who had won both Nandigram and Bhabanipur in the 2026 Assembly election, chose to retain Bhabanipur and resigned from Nandigram.
The Election Commission has fixed October 6, 2026 as polling day, while votes will be counted on October 9.
The BJP has fielded Hasirani Rath from Nandigram, while the Mamata Banerjee-led faction of the Trinamool Congress has nominated Sanchita Pradhan Dey.
With the Model Code of Conduct in force, Adhikari has said that his government will wait until the electoral process is complete before announcing its next course of action concerning the 2021 incident.
Government announces subsidised Puja essentials
At the same Nabanna briefing, Adhikari also announced a subsidised food package for families ahead of Durga Puja.
According to the announcement, around two crore families will receive wheat flour, sugar and semolina at subsidised prices during the festive period. The government said it would provide a higher subsidy than the previous arrangement.
Under the announced plan, eligible families will be able to purchase one kilogram of flour for ₹19, with the state government providing a subsidy of another ₹19 per kilogram. Sugar will reportedly be available at ₹30 per kilogram, with the government bearing an equivalent subsidy.
The distribution of 500 grams of semolina (suji) per family is also planned, although the procurement process for that item was still underway at the time of the announcement.
The government said the distribution would be completed during the Puja week.
The latest developments have therefore placed two separate issues at the centre of attention in West Bengal: the government’s proposed festive food subsidy and the renewed political dispute over the circumstances and medical documentation surrounding Mamata Banerjee’s 2021 Nandigram injury.
