Police have issued a fresh notice directing Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee to appear in connection with the Camac Street billboard case, after the Kolkata Municipal Corporation complained that its workers were obstructed while removing an allegedly illegal billboard outside his office.
According to a report by Sangbad Pratidin, officers from Shakespeare Sarani police station visited Banerjee’s residence on Sunday and served the notice after waiting for around 20 minutes before the main door was opened. The notice directs him to appear before the police on Monday.
The case relates to an incident on August 27, when civic workers went to remove a billboard installed at Banerjee’s Camac Street office. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has described the billboard as illegal. The removal operation reportedly led to a confrontation involving security personnel, police officers and municipal workers.
The report said police officers alleged that they were obstructed and assaulted while attempting to enter the office premises. Some officers reportedly fell on a staircase during the confrontation. Municipal workers were also allegedly prevented from carrying out the removal work and were assaulted. The billboard was eventually removed by the civic body, and several people were detained in connection with the alleged obstruction.
The municipal corporation subsequently filed complaints against Banerjee and several other Trinamool Congress leaders. The names of former Indian Police Service officer Humayun Kabir and Baishwanar Chattopadhyay were also mentioned in the complaint, according to the report. The report did not include a response from Banerjee or the other people named in the allegations.
The latest notice follows an earlier attempt by Shakespeare Sarani police officers to serve a notice at Banerjee’s Kalighat residence. Officers had visited the house two days earlier, but returned without serving the notice because nobody was available, the report said. The fresh notice was issued in connection with another case filed by the municipal corporation.
The Camac Street episode has resulted in multiple cases linked to the same civic enforcement action. The report said Banerjee had previously been questioned for five hours in connection with one municipal complaint. Police now want to question him again based on another first information report filed by the civic body.
The dispute places the enforcement of municipal rules against prominent private premises at the centre of the case. While the civic corporation has maintained that the billboard was illegal, the allegations of obstruction and assault remain matters for investigation and due legal process. The immediate next step is Banerjee’s appearance before the police on Monday, as directed in the notice.
