West Bengal government is using police against opposition, says TMC MP
TMC MP Sagarika Ghose. File Image | Photo credit: Sansad TV
Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose on Wednesday (2 Sep 2026) accused the BJP-led administration in West Bengal of misusing the police and law and order machinery to target opposition leaders, in what she described as an attack on democracy, constitutional values and human rights.
At a press conference in Delhi, Ms. Ghose alleged that FIRs were being registered against Trinamool leaders and workers without due process and old cases were being revived to harass them.
“The way the police are being misused in Bengal, the way FIRs are being registered, FIRs are not being recorded, notices are not being served on the accused and old offenses are being dragged out, shows that the law and order system is being misused to target the Trinamool,” she said.
Also read | Trinamool worker tortured in custody over billboard dispute, says Abhishek Banerjee
Calling it a “pure case of political vendetta”, Ms Ghose said the party would challenge the actions at every available forum. “This is an attack on democracy and the constitution. The people of this country should see how law and order is being removed in Bengal. We will take up this issue across the country and also on international platforms as it is a violation of human rights,” she said.
Ms. Ghose claimed that such a development was unprecedented in West Bengal and accused the BJP government of carrying out “political and public atrocities” against the Trinamool.
Leaders summoned
Referring to what she described as a sustained campaign against the party leadership, Ms Ghose said Trinamool national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee was questioned by investigators for six hours on Tuesday (1 September 2026), while Rajya Sabha leader Derek O’Brien was summoned for questioning on Wednesday.
“In fact, Mr. O’Brien was thrown and pushed (in a scuffle that broke out in Kolkata after corporation workers dismantled a billboard from the Trinamool office) and now there is an FIR against him,” she alleged, adding that the actions were aimed at intimidating the opposition. “There is an attempt to intimidate us, but we will not be intimidated,” she said.
Ms Ghose also cited a number of cases against Trinamool leaders and the freezing of party accounts as part of what she called a wider crackdown on the party.
Her remarks come amid controversy over the removal of a billboard from the party’s Camac Street office. According to the Trinamool, during the operation, police forcefully entered the compound, leading to a scuffle.
Published – 03 Sep 2026 0:40 IST