Pre-dawn police raid at TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee’s house in Kolkata: What happened | Today’s news
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) claimed that the police raided the house of the party’s national general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee for a pre-dawn search operation. According to TMC, the West Bengal Police, accompanied by central forces, forcibly entered the residence after breaking the lock and searched the entire premises.
Mamata rushes to Abhishek’s residence
The police action took a dramatic turn when former West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee rushed to her nephew’s residence. As news of the police raid spread, other TMC supporters also rushed to the spot, adding to the tension.
Read also | TMC Crisis: Why Mamata Banerjee’s party faces an unprecedented split
Why did police raid Abhishek Banerjee?
Police left Banerjee’s house on Sunday morning and details of the outcome of the raid were not immediately known. According to the police, a search was conducted at Banerjee’s Kalighat residence by a team from Paschim Medinipur police station in Salboni and assisted by Kolkata Police personnel.
The operation began shortly after three in the morning and lasted almost four hours. Police said officers repeatedly knocked on the door of Banerjee’s Kalighat residence but got no response.
According to officials, the raid was in connection with an ongoing investigation into a financial fraud case registered at Salboni police station in Paschim Medinipur district. They are said to be looking for Diamond Harbor MP Sumit Roy’s personal assistant in connection with the ongoing investigation.
TMC is crying foul
The TMC has alleged political vendetta for the raid and says no incriminating evidence was found at Banerjee’s house.
“The seizure report says: NIL. No evidence. No wrongdoing. NOTHING. Just political vendettas, intimidation and mental torture,” TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose said in a post on X.
“Operation Lotus targets any leader who refuses to bow to BJP’s dictates. A shameful attack on an opposition leader,” she added.
Read also | Signature forgery case: Abhishek gets interim protection from enforcement action
However, the ruling BJP maintained that the investigating agencies were only following due process and that no individual was above the law.
Fitting problems for Abhishek Banerjee
The raid came days after the West Bengal CID questioned Banerjee in connection with an alleged case of forged signatures linked to the state assembly.
Banerjee was also summoned for a second round of questioning on June 14 in connection with the alleged signature forgery case, after state CID sleuths were reportedly unsatisfied with his answers during an interrogation at the department’s headquarters two days ago.
The Calcutta High Court ordered Banerjee to cooperate with investigators probing the assembly signature forgery case and noted that the CID would not take any enforcement action against Banerjee for two weeks.
On Friday, CID officers again visited his Kalighat residence to serve a notice in connection with a cyber complaint lodged over some of his alleged remarks. After he was initially found unavailable, investigators later passed on the notice when he returned home.
Banerjee was asked to appear before the CID on June 16 in connection with the cyber case.
Read also | A dissident faction of the TMC will approach LS spokesperson Om Birla on Monday. Here’s why
In addition, the executive directorate summoned him on June 15 in connection with the investigation of the alleged case of irregularities in the recruitment of primary schools.
TMC insurgency crisis
This development comes at a time when the TMC is facing its toughest challenge after the West Bengal Assembly election results. The party has struggled to contain the infighting and defection of its MLAs and MPs, which now pose an existential threat to the Mamata Banerjee-founded party.
Key things
- The TMC claims the airstrike was a politically motivated attack amid fighting and declining support.
- Abhishek Banerjee is under investigation for many issues including the signature forgery case linked to the rally.
- The event highlights the ongoing tension between opposition parties and the ruling BJP in West Bengal.
