Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee said on Saturday that “fools” of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) set fire to the house of Swapn Barma, “India’s first heptathlete to win a gold medal for the nation at the Asian Games”.
In a post addressed to Barman, X wrote, “India DID NOT DELIVER YOU dear Swapna. @Swapna_Barman96.”
Abhishek Banerjee said, “The first Indian heptathlete to win an Asian Games gold medal for the nation, Swapna Barman carried India’s flag with pride on the global stage.”
“She later joined the Trinamool Congress with the hope of serving the people and was our candidate from the Rajganj Assembly constituency in Jalpaiguri,” he added.
“Yesterday (May 15) @BJP4Bengal GOONS BURNED HER HOUSE. Let that sink in,” claimed Abhishek Banerjee in a post on X.
Sharing the video, Banerjee said, “A sportswoman who brought glory to the nation is rewarded with violence, intimidation and fear – simply because she chose to stand with the Trinamool Congress.”
“THIS is the grim reality under the watch of @BJP4India. THIS is the ‘Parivartan’ they promised,” he said, criticizing the party that recently came to power in West Bengal with a landslide majority.
“The @BJP4India government must answer. This CANNOT become the new normal. If supporting Trinamool Congress now means risking your safety, your family and even your home, WHERE ARE WE GOING AS A NATION?,” Banerjee’s social media post read.
He concluded, “If a sportswoman who brought glory to India is being treated like this for her political choices, the state of democracy should worry EVERY Indian.”
What did the bartender say?
Banerjee’s statement came a day after Barman alleged that the property she owns, built of corrugated iron and adjacent to the house she currently lives in, was set on fire by unidentified miscreants, news agency PTI reported.
According to the report, the affected property was occupied by the athlete’s brother, who it claimed received death threats from “unknown goons” after the May 4 assembly results were announced.
According to ETV Bharat Barman, standing outside the police station, said: “At first I thought someone was joking when they told me about the fire. I would never have thought that someone would actually set the house on fire,” she said.
“I didn’t see who did it. But I feel that someone very close to me is behind it,” she said.
The district police reportedly confirmed the fire and said it was extinguished by firefighters. They said they have launched an investigation into the incident.
Who is Swapna Barman?
Barmanova won a historic gold medal in the women’s heptathlon at the 2018 Asian Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia. She created history by becoming the first Indian heptathlete to achieve this milestone.
She also won gold in the heptathlon at the 2017 Asian Athletics Championships. She was awarded the Arjuna Award in August 2019.
She joined the TMC on February 27 this year and contested the assembly elections from Rajganj in Jalpaiguri district, but was defeated by BJP’s Dinesh Sarkar with a margin of over 21,000 votes, news agency ANI reported.
The Rajbanshi athlete is also a former employee of North Frontier Railway in Alipurduar division.
After it was discovered that she had joined the TMC, she was dismissed from service for violating civil service rules that prohibit employees from engaging in politics without first officially resigning.
(With input from agencies)
