March 28, 2025: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee faced intense protest and disruptions during her speech at Oxford University’s Kellogg College in the UK. The event, which was meant to highlight West Bengal’s protest and investment opportunities, quickly turned dramatic as audience members, led by the Student’s Federation of India (SFI-UK) interrupted Banerjee with pointed questions.

The tension began when Banerjee spoke about her state’s development model, but escalated when questions were raised about the controversial rape and murder case in Kolkata. A member of the audience demanded to know how Banerjee govt had handled the sensitive issue, leading to a sharp exchange between the two.

When asked about the treatment of Hindus in Bengal, Banerjee responded by saying, “I am for all, Hindus and Muslims.” However, this was met with chants of “go back” from a section of the audience.

In a dramatic move, Banerjee pulled out a poster-sized image of herself from the 1990s, showing her with a bandaged head due to serious injuries. She said, “First, see my pictures, how an attempt was made to kill me.” However, the disruptions continued.

Following the event, SFI-UK issued a statement taking responsibility for the protest. The group condemned Kellogg college for hosting Banerjee, calling her an “anti-democratic leader”.