KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien on Wednesday appeared before the Kolkata Police in connection with last week’s scuffle at the party’s Camac Street office, a day after party MP Abhishek Banerjee was questioned for about six hours at Shakespeare Sarani police station.
O’Brien, a loyalist of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, was questioned over the August 27 scuffle that erupted during an attempt to remove a huge billboard bearing TMC signage from the office.
The Rajya Sabha MP arrived at the police station around 10 am, followed by Abhishek’s personal assistant Sumit Roy. He came out of the police station around 4.30 pm and did not say anything to the media.
"The Trinamool MP was questioned on various aspects of the incident for about four hours," according to a police officer.
Notably, Abhishek has been named as an accused in two of the FIRs, while Derek and former MLA Humayun Kabir are among others named in the cases, police said.
The police had earlier summoned O’Brien to appear on Monday, but he had sought more time, citing the short interval between the notice and the scheduled appearance.
“We are questioning all the persons named in the cases and examining the available evidence. The statements of the individuals concerned are being recorded as part of the investigation,” the officer said.
On Tuesday, Mamata’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee appeared before the police in connection with the scuffle on the evening of August 27 at his Camac Street office in the central part of the city, when Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) officials, along with police, reached the premises to remove the huge billboard.
Abhishek was questioned by police for about six hours at Shakespeare Sarani police station, where his supporters raised slogans against the BJP government in the state.
The agitating TMC supporters belonging to the Mamata faction alleged that the police action against Abhishek was an act of BJP's political vendetta against the MP from Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas district.
After coming out of the police station around 7 pm on Tuesday, Abhishek attacked the BJP, saying, “So many lives could have been saved if the BJP government took adequate measures to prevent incidents of devastating fire in hotels at Mirja Galib Street in Kolkata and in Tarapith of Birbhum district one month ago. But their police are very active on billboard issue in our party office.”
He denied allegations of any incident of molestation on August 27 at the TMC Congress party office.
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. TMC 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 were 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 personnel during the scuffle at his Camac Street party office have been levelled in the FIRs.
On August 27 evening, KMC, along with Kolkata Police, dismantled a huge, allegedly unauthorised billboard of the TMC installed on the rooftop of Abhishek’s party office on the sixth floor of a high-rise building on Camac Street, despite Abhishek, along with his private security personnel, 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 began dismantling the billboard, which was made of tin sheets mounted on an iron-rod structure.
