A pre-dawn police raid at the Kolkata residence of TMC national general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday sparked a fresh political confrontation in West Bengal, with the ruling Trinamool Congress alleging high-handedness and selective targeting of its senior leader.
A team from Salboni Police Station in Paschim Medinipur district, assisted by Kolkata Police personnel and central forces, arrived at Abhishek's Kalighat residence shortly after 3 am and carried out a search operation that lasted for more than four hours.
The operation prompted TMC supremo and former chief minister Mamata Banerjee to rush to the residence after being informed about the developments. The area remained heavily secured throughout the search, with central forces cordoning off the neighbourhood while personnel from Kalighat and Bhabanipur police stations assisted the team.
According to police, officers repeatedly knocked on the doors of the residence but received no response. The TMC, however, alleged that personnel broke open a lock and entered the premises to conduct the search.
Emerging from the residence after the operation, Abhishek Banerjee accused the police of forcibly entering the house.
"They broke the lock and searched the entire house," he told reporters.
Police officials said the search was linked to an ongoing financial fraud case registered at Salboni Police Station. While authorities declined to reveal details of the allegations or evidence being sought, officials indicated that investigators were searching for Banerjee's personal assistant in connection with the case.
Sources said women police personnel were also part of the operation. During the search, some officers briefly stepped out for discussions before re-entering the premises and continuing the exercise.
As news of the raid spread, Mamata Banerjee arrived at the residence and remained there for a considerable period, closely monitoring the situation. Her presence drew TMC workers and supporters to the area, further intensifying the political atmosphere.
The police team left the residence later in the morning. It was not immediately known whether any documents or materials had been seized.
The raid comes amid mounting legal scrutiny of Abhishek. Just two days earlier, he was questioned by the Bengal CID in connection with an alleged forged-signature case linked to the state assembly. He has been summoned again on June 14 after investigators were reportedly dissatisfied with his responses during the earlier questioning.
The Calcutta High Court has directed Abhishek to cooperate with investigators in the assembly signature forgery case while observing that no coercive action should be taken against him for two weeks.
On Friday, CID officers also visited his Kalighat residence to serve a notice related to a cyber complaint over certain remarks allegedly made by him. After initially finding him unavailable, officials later handed over the notice upon his return. Abhishek has been asked to appear before the CID on June 16 in connection with the cyber case and has publicly stated that he will cooperate with both investigations.
Separately, the Enforcement Directorate has summoned him on June 15 in connection with its probe into alleged irregularities in primary school recruitment.
Saturday's search has further escalated political tensions in the state. While sections of the TMC alleged that Abhishek was being targeted through a series of investigations, the BJP maintained that agencies were acting in accordance with due process and that no individual was above the law.
