KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday afternoon appeared before Kolkata Police in connection with a scuffle at his Camac Street office in the central part of the city last week, when Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) officials, along with police, reached the premises to remove a huge billboard bearing party signage.
Abhishek, nephew of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, reached Shakespeare Sarani police station around 12.15 pm, where his supporters raised slogans against the BJP government in the state.
The agitating Trinamool Congress supporters belonging to the Mamata Banerjee faction alleged that the police action against Abhishek was a move of BJP’s political vendetta against the MP from Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas district.
The police had served Abhishek a notice in connection with the August 27 incident, following which several arrests were made.
Three FIRs have been registered over the scuffle, with Abhishek named as an accused in two cases, officials said. Trinamool leaders Derek O'Brien, who is a Rajya Sabha MP, Baiswanar Chatterjee, and former MLA Humayun Kabir have also been named in the FIRs.
Two of the FIRs have been lodged separately by a KMC official and a sergeant of the Park Street police station.
Allegations of heckling policemen and outraging the modesty of women police during the scuffle have been levelled in the FIRs.
On August 27 evening, KMC, along with Kolkata Police, dismantled a huge, allegedly unauthorised billboard of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) installed on the rooftop of the party office at Abhishek’s office on the sixth floor of a high-rise building on Camac Street under the Shakespeare Sarani police station area, despite him, along with his private security men, office staff and Derek O’Brien, preventing the civic body team and police from entering the building.
KMC workers armed with hammers and gas-cutters started the operation to dismantle the billboard made of tin sheet on an iron rod structure.
KMC officials alleged that the billboard, bearing TMC signage, on top of Abhishek’s office was illegal and had to be removed.
High drama had erupted in front of the multi-storied building housing the office of the MP and other offices of many private organisations on different floors when KMC officials, Kolkata Police personnel and labourers wanted to enter the building to remove the billboard around 4 pm on August 27.
There had been a scuffle between policemen and Abhishek’s private security guards, his office staff as well as Trinamool Congress workers, including women, when the latter prevented the civic body officials, police and labourers from going upstairs to reach the rooftop.
Abhishek, Derek and others were seen stopping the police and KMC men at the entrance of the building so that the KMC men and police could reach the rooftop.
An altercation had broken out between the Trinamool Congress MP and police officers and KMC personnel.
Abhishek had alleged the action was arbitrary, targeting the opposition TMC. He questioned why no action was initiated against similar private hoardings on nearby buildings.
