KOLKATA: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and Kolkata Police on Thursday evening dismantled a huge, allegedly unauthorised billboard of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) installed on the rooftop of party MP Abhishek Banerjee’s office building at 9 Camac Street under the Shakespeare Sarani police station (PS) area.
The action came despite Banerjee, along with his private security personnel, office staff and the party’s Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien, preventing KMC officials and police personnel from entering the multi-storeyed building.
KMC workers armed with hammers and gas cutters began dismantling the billboard, which was made of tin sheets mounted on an iron rod structure.
KMC officials said the billboard, bearing the TMC signage and installed atop Abhishek’s office in the Camac Street area of central Kolkata, was allegedly illegal and had to be removed.
High drama erupted outside the multi-storeyed building, which houses the office of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew as well as offices of several private organisations on different floors, when KMC officials, police personnel and labourers arrived around 4 pm to remove the glowshine board.
There was a scuffle between policemen and Abhishek’s private security guards, office staff and Trinamool Congress workers, including women, when they prevented civic body officials, police personnel and labourers from going upstairs to reach the rooftop.
Abhishek, Derek and others were seen stopping the police and KMC personnel at the entrance of the building, preventing them from reaching the rooftop. An altercation also broke out between the Trinamool Congress MP, police officers and KMC personnel.
Abhishek alleged that the action was arbitrary and targeted the opposition TMC. He questioned why no action had been initiated against similar private hoardings on nearby buildings.
The Diamond Harbour MP objected to the move and asked the officials to produce a copy of the order authorising the action and the complaint letter on which it was based. He alleged that police officers were attempting to illegally enter the office premises.
The police and KMC officials later left after, according to Abhishek, they failed to show the required order copy when asked. He also alleged that the officials wanted to enter the office and asserted that he would file a case against the police officers in the High Court.
The drama continued for about an hour, during which some Trinamool workers shouted the slogan ‘Jai Bangla’ and allegedly heckled policemen. Derek fell to the ground during the scuffle with police.
The Trinamool Congress alleged that policemen had manhandled the Rajya Sabha MP, as a result of which he fell to the ground.
Police detained one Trinamool worker for allegedly obstructing the operation and took him to the Shakespeare Sarani PS in a prison van. Heavy police deployment was made at the spot later in the evening.
Later, while speaking to the press after the incident, Abhishek accused both the KMC and Kolkata Police of working at the behest of the ruling BJP government in Bengal. He also criticised the Suvendu Adhikari government for allegedly using government bodies for political vengeance against the opposition.
Sukanta Majumder, Union Minister of State for Education and former Bengal BJP president, while reacting to the incident, told the media, “KMC along with police went there to dismantle the illegal billboard but the way Abhishek Banerjee and his men prevented them from doing their duty prompted me to doubt whether he is an MP or a goon. Police will take necessary action in this regard.”
