Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee appeared at Shakespeare Sarani Police Station in Kolkata on Wednesday morning for questioning in connection with a billboard case involving his Camac Street office building. He reached the police station at 11 am after investigators issued a fresh summons.
Banerjee had been asked to appear on Monday but did not attend. According to the report, he sought a 48-hour extension from the police by email. Police subsequently visited his residence and served a notice directing him to appear on Wednesday. He appeared after receiving the notice.
The case relates to a clash on August 27 involving police personnel, Kolkata Municipal Corporation officials and Banerjee’s supporters during an attempt to remove a billboard from the roof of the Camac Street office building. The billboard carried the Trinamool Congress name and its twin-flowers symbol.
Police allegedly attempted to remove the structure after it was claimed to have been installed illegally and to pose a safety risk to people passing below. The report said Banerjee’s supporters later installed another billboard at the same location carrying the party name and symbol.
The episode led to the registration of three first information reports at Shakespeare Sarani Police Station. Banerjee had already appeared at the station on September 1 after being summoned in connection with the Camac Street clashes. Investigators later decided to question him again specifically in relation to the billboard case.
The latest summons followed earlier attempts by police to serve notice. On October 7, officers reportedly visited Banerjee’s residence but were unable to serve the notice after being told that he was out of town and that no one was available to receive it. Police returned without completing service.
Banerjee had travelled to Delhi to attend a protest organised by the opposition INDIA bloc, which sought the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision exercise. He returned to Kolkata on Saturday. Police again attempted to serve a summons on Sunday, directing him to appear at the station on Monday.
The dispute places the focus on the municipal and enforcement questions surrounding rooftop advertising and political signage in a dense commercial area. The report does not provide details of the billboard’s dimensions, the applicable permission records, or the specific safety assessment cited by the authorities. The police questioning is part of the investigation linked to the August 27 events and the three FIRs registered at Shakespeare Sarani Police Station.
