In the early hours of Thursday, October 8, 2026, the residence of senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader and advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya was attacked. An unidentified masked man on a bike arrived at about 5:30 a.m., hurled beer bottles at the house, broke windows, and fled.
An FIR was registered at Purba Jadavpur Police Station based on Bhattacharya’s complaint. Police said the suspect may be a resident of Bikash Guha Colony or a nearby area under Panchasayar Police Station and that plain‑clothes surveillance is underway. They are seeking the accused’s identity and apprehension.
Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with Bhattacharya. She noted that despite ideological differences over the past 15 years, the line of decency had never been crossed and promised a personal meeting after her Delhi visit. Former Rajya Sabha MP Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya labeled the assault a planned Hindutva attack, citing religious slurs and the attacker’s concealed face and bike number plate. West Bengal minister Tapas Ray questioned the attribution to Hindus, while minister Dilip Ghosh urged a police investigation.
Bhattacharya said he would apply for a firearm licence following the incident and highlighted that he had previously received verbal and virtual threats, but the house attack represented a new form of harassment.
