Actor Payel Mukherjee today claimed that she was attacked by a motorcyclist following a “minor accident” on a Kolkata road. In a video shared on her official social media accounts, Mukherjee, visibly shaken and sitting in her damaged car, recounted how a man on a two-wheeler stopped in front of her on Southern Avenue after the incident and demanded that she exit her vehicle. The police described the incident as a “road traffic accident” and confirmed that the accused had been arrested.
Mukherjee, sobbing in the video, explained, “I refused to step out of the car, fearing for my safety, but the man started banging on the window on my right side and shattered the glass, injuring my hand.”
According to a report by a private news outlet, the man involved in the incident stated that Payel’s car had grazed his bike, and he later apologized to the police.
Reflecting on the situation, Mukherjee expressed her concerns in the video, speaking in Bangla: “I don’t know where we stand now. If a woman can be accosted and harassed like this on a crowded street in the evening, it speaks volumes about the real situation. This happens while rallies are being held across the city on the issue of women’s safety.”
She also highlighted the lack of safety for women in Kolkata, especially in light of recent events. “I shudder to think what would have happened to me had this incident occurred in a deserted area,” Mukherjee added.
In a follow-up video, she showed the motorbike involved in the accident and questioned, “Can anyone see any damage?”
The police responded to her social media post, stating that they had “swiftly intervened” and arrested the accused.
This incident unfolds amid ongoing nationwide protests over the rape and murder of a postgraduate medical trainee at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Healthcare professionals across the country have stopped work after the body of the junior doctor was discovered in a seminar room at the hospital on August 9.
