Kolkata cops at TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee's home days after property notice

Trouble brews for Trinamool leader and Diamond Harbour MP, Abhishek Banerjee, as Kolkata Police arrived at Shantiniketan, his official residence, located at 188A Harish Mukherjee Road on Monday.

The police intervention came a few days after the TMC-run Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) issued notices to 17 properties linked to Banerjee, including his official residence, over alleged unauthorised construction. The civic body had granted Banerjee a seven-day deadline to respond to the notices, which expired today.

While the exact reason for the police presence has not been officially confirmed, it is speculated that the action was prompted by Banerjee's failure to respond to the KMC notices within the stipulated timeframe. Other than Shantiniketan, properties linked to Abhishek's parents and Leaps and Bounce, his company, also received notice from the civic body.

After almost an hour of heavy deployment, the police finally left Banerjee's residence around 5 pm.

Talking about the incident, Sougata Roy, the veteran Trinamool leader and MP from Dum Dum Lok Sabha constituency, told ANI, "This is part of a political vendetta. Raids are being conducted at the homes of TMC leaders across various parts of Bengal. It is not even known what the specific allegations against Abhishek Banerjee are... Abhishek Banerjee cannot be held responsible without any factual basis. However, I am not surprised, as this is the modus operandi of the BJP throughout the entire state."

While leaving, the police took away a monitor that had been previously set up to track feeds from the nearby security cameras. However, following the withdrawal of Banerjee's Z-plus security cover, the police have dismantled and removed that surveillance system.

DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA WHY THE NOTICES WERE SENT, SAID FIRHAD HAKIM

As the notices stirred huge controversy in the political circles, Firhad Hakim, the Mayor of Kolkata, said that he was 'unaware' of the major development that had unfolded.

Speaking to the media about the incident, Hakim, who is popular with the name of Bobby in Kolkata's political corridor, said, "I don't have any information regarding the notices that have been sent to Banerjee. As per the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Act, we are just policymakers, and hence, I do not have any updates on the issue," said Hakim.

The response from the TMC Mayor was certainly not something that enthusiasts sought. Instead of satisfying them, it triggered a possibility of a potential internal rift in the party between the old guards and the new ones.

A POTENTIAL TMC VS TMC BATTLE AFTER POLL ROUT

As per a report by a local Bengali newspaper, Mamata Banerjee was furious with Hakim over the notices being sent to her nephew's properties. She brought up the matter during a meeting with the Kolkata mayor and members of the mayoral council and demanded an explanation.

However, Hakim said what he told the presspersons – that he did not know anything about the development.

His answer added another layer to the intrigue. How can a civic body send demolition notices without the mayor even knowing about it?