Journalist Soma Maity Attacked at Beldanga Protests, Sustains Serious Injuries

BELDANGA, MURSHIDABAD, JAN 17, 2026 — A female journalist from Zee 24 Ghanta, Soma Maity, was brutally assaulted while covering violent protests in Beldanga, West Bengal, on Friday, January 16, 2026. Maity has got severe injuries on her hands and legs and was taken to a nearby hospital where she was taken to a local hospital where she is still receiving treatment. Even her cameraman was assaulted and wounded in the act.

Soma Maity, a journalist accompanied by her photographer was assaulted by a violent group of people during her duties. Maity was said to have been pursued more than a kilometre and dragged into the road where he was not only beaten but allegedly molested with her clothes pulled at and her cell phone stolen. It has been reported that the police were there in large numbers, but instead of taking action or save the journalists, they were mute witnesses. It happened in the town of Beldanga of the Murshidabad district of West Bengal, India. The attack occurred during the violent demonstrations which implied the blockage of National Highway 12 and train services.

It was on Friday, January 16, 2026, when the protests were being covered on the daytime that the attack took place. The next day, which was Saturday, January 17, 2026, new violence, where two other ABP Ananda journalists were attacked, was witnessed. The demonstrations broke out on the death of 36-year old migrant worker, Alauddin Sheikh, in Jharkhand. The people of the region accused that migrant workers in the region are constantly attacked and subjected to unsuitable conditions in other states due to their being Bengali speakers, and the protests were a reaction to this complaint. The reporters were assaulted in their efforts to report this sharp case.

The journalists were surrounded by a mob of about 20-30 individuals who attacked them physically as well as destroying their equipment. The police eventually used the charge of batons in pushing the mob away and clearing the blockades, and more than an estimated 30 accused were arrested in all over the two days of violence. The police are also relying on the CCTV footage to find the attackers of the journalist. 

CM Mamata Banerjee’s Comments on Beldanga Attack Spark Fresh Controversy and Political Conflict

The recent assertions made by the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on the brutal attack of journalist Soma Maity in Beldanga have sparked a new wave of political struggle and outburst. The various comments she made that ranged between advising the victim to denial of administrative failure have only added more to the gap between the state government and its opposition.

One of the main conflicts was caused by her remarks when she seemed to put some blame on the victim. Banerjee said, I am not encouraging this but I am informing people not to get into the crowd. This promptly attracted retaliation on the part of critics and the opposition who said this was a victim blaming scenario and that the responsibility of safety lies with the administration and not with the journalist herself.

The other area of contention was based on her recognition that the anger of the minorities was warranted, which was associated with the supposed assaults on migrant workers in Bengal in other places. She also mentioned the importance of the Jumma day (Friday congregational prayers) as a possible background of the mobilisation. This triggered a fierce opposition against the critics who claimed she was shockingly justified arson and violence as a spontaneous incident associated with a religious event, which was also mentioned in the original cartoon by the BJP leader with sarcasm.

Moreover, there was a considerable political dispute because she refused to have a direct administration responsibility. Banerjee said it was not in my hands and that the unrest was being triggered by a political conspiracy by the BJP, central agencies and a traitor of a former leader. This sets her story of external influence against the counter-storey of opposition to the failure of the state government to uphold law and order.

Although she promised to take strict action against those who committed it, whether they are in the same political party or not, the wars that her initial remarks created still eclipsed the dedication to justice. 

As of January 17, 2026, Beldanga in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district is experiencing severe unrest, with violent protests, including road and rail blockades, continuing for a second consecutive day. The murder of the alleged 36 years old local migrant worker Alauddin Sheikh in Jharkhand, whose body was returned to the village, and reports of another worker being assaulted in Bihar triggered the agitation. Demonstrating crowds such as the one at Barua More have burnt tyres, destroyed railway signalling systems and damaged on-coming vehicles compelling a halt in train services between Krishnanagar and Lalgola.

As part of the riot, police forces have been brought in, including Rapid Action Force (RAF) and Railway Protection Force (RPF) officers and police have been reportedly lynching the mobs using lathi and have arrested at least 30 rioters. Although the West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee has called upon peace and claimed that the opposition political parties are fueling the violence, head of the opposition parties have criticised the state administration accusing them of a law and order breakdown. The region is heavily monitored on security grounds to avoid additional escalation and traffic within the National Highway-12 has been seriously affected.