Key facts
- West Bengal Police raided the Kalighat residence of TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
- The operation, involving central forces, lasted for over four hours.
- TMC alleged that police broke open a lock to enter the premises.
- The raid was reportedly in connection with a case filed in Paschim Medinipur district.
- The development follows recent questioning of Banerjee by the West Bengal CID in multiple cases.
In a dramatic pre-dawn operation that triggered a fresh political storm in West Bengal, police personnel, accompanied by central forces, conducted a raid at TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee's residence in Kolkata on Saturday. The operation, led by a team from Paschim Medinipur's Salboni Police station and assisted by Kolkata Police personnel, began shortly after 3 am and continued for more than four hours.
According to the police, officers repeatedly knocked on the doors of Banerjee's Kalighat residence but received no response. The TMC alleged that the police personnel broke open a lock and entered the premises to carry out the search operation. Coming out of the house later, Abhishek Banerjee alleged that police personnel had forcibly entered the residence after breaking open a lock and searched the entire premises.
The premises in Kalighat's Patuapara area remained heavily guarded throughout the operation, with central forces cordoning off the neighbourhood. Police officers said the search was linked to an ongoing investigation into a financial fraud case registered at Salboni Police Station in Paschim Medinipur district, though they declined to disclose further details. Police sources said personnel, including women officers, participated in the search.
As news of the search spread, Mamata Banerjee rushed to the residence and remained there for a considerable period. The development came barely two days after the West Bengal CID questioned Banerjee in connection with the alleged forged-signature case linked to the state assembly and amid a series of fresh summons issued to him by multiple investigating agencies. Banerjee has been asked to appear before the CID on June 16 in connection with a cyber case, and the Enforcement Directorate has summoned him on June 15 regarding the alleged primary school recruitment irregularities case.