Kolkata: A large contingent of police personnel from the Kalighat and Shalboni police stations, supported by central forces, arrived at Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee’s Kalighat residence on Saturday.
Officers carried out a search that lasted several hours. Afterwards, Banerjee said that the premises were searched following the forcible breaking of locks.
According to reports, teams from Salboni Police Station and Kolkata Police arrived at Abhishek Banerjee’s Patuapara home in Kalighat shortly after 3 AM after receiving fresh summons from several agencies. The search followed a CID questioning two days earlier in an alleged forged-signature matter connected to the state assembly.
The sudden police action prompted former chief minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee to hurry to her nephew’s residence after she was informed of the development. She left shortly before 8 AM as Abhishek walked her to the gate and drove her away.
Speaking to reporters later, he said the whole house had been searched, locks were broken, and the procedure was recorded on camera. “My entire house was searched. They broke the locks and searched. However, the entire process was recorded on camera. Now you should ask them what the investigating agency found during the search,” he said.
A senior officer said the operation related to a case filed in Paschim Medinipur, alleging that Sumit Roy accepted money from people in return for promising party tickets. Police said they are probing those claims and trying to locate Roy, as reported by DNA.
The search lasted over four hours, with officers staying inside into the morning and occasionally stepping out to consult before going back in. More details are awaited.
It is not immediately confirmed whether any papers or other items were taken during the search. The action occurred just two days after the West Bengal CID questioned him in the alleged signature-forgery case linked to the state assembly, and came amid multiple fresh summons issued by various investigating agencies, as reported by The New Indian Express.
Banerjee has been summoned for a second round of questioning on June 14 in the forgery probe, after CID officers reportedly found his earlier answers at their headquarters unsatisfactory.
The Calcutta High Court had instructed him to cooperate with investigators and said the CID would refrain from using coercive measures against him for two weeks.
On Friday, CID officers again called at his Kalighat residence to serve a notice related to a cyber complaint over certain remarks he is alleged to have made; after initially finding him away, they handed over the notice when he returned. He is required to appear before the CID on June 16 in connection with that cyber matter.
Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate has summoned him for June 15 in relation to its probe into alleged irregularities in primary school recruitments. The pre-dawn search has heightened political tensions: sections of the Trinamool Congress accused investigators of selective targeting, while the BJP said agencies were following due process and stressed that no one is above the law.
residence after she was informed of the development. She left shortly before 8 AM as Abhishek walked her to the gate and drove her away.
Speaking to reporters later, he said the whole house had been searched, locks were broken, and the procedure was recorded on camera. “My entire house was searched. They broke the locks and searched. However, the entire process was recorded on camera. Now you should ask them what the investigating agency found during the search,” he said.
A senior officer said the operation related to a case filed in Paschim Medinipur, alleging that Sumit Roy accepted money from people in return for promising party tickets. Police said they are probing those claims and trying to locate Roy, as reported by DNA.
The search lasted over four hours, with officers staying inside into the morning and occasionally stepping out to consult before going back in. More details are awaited.
It is not immediately confirmed whether any papers or other items were taken during the search. The action occurred just two days after the West Bengal CID questioned him in the alleged signature-forgery case linked to the state assembly, and came amid multiple fresh summons issued by various investigating agencies, as reported by The New Indian Express.
Banerjee has been summoned for a second round of questioning on June 14 in the forgery probe, after CID officers reportedly found his earlier answers at their headquarters unsatisfactory.
The Calcutta High Court had instructed him to cooperate with investigators and said the CID would refrain from using coercive measures against him for two weeks.
On Friday, CID officers again called at his Kalighat residence to serve a notice related to a cyber complaint over certain remarks he is alleged to have made; after initially finding him away, they handed over the notice when he returned. He is required to appear before the CID on June 16 in connection with that cyber matter.
Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate has summoned him for June 15 in relation to its probe into alleged irregularities in primary school recruitments. The pre-dawn search has heightened political tensions: sections of the Trinamool Congress accused investigators of selective targeting, while the BJP said agencies were following due process and stressed that no one is above the law.
