Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee did not appear before Kolkata’s Shakespeare Sarani police on Monday in connection with allegations that municipal workers and police personnel were obstructed while removing a billboard from his Camac Street office. The Diamond Harbour MP reportedly sought an additional 48 hours by email, after which police visited his residence again.
According to a report by Sangbad Pratidin – Kolkata, police had served a notice at Banerjee’s residence on Sunday directing him to appear at the Shakespeare Sarani police station at 10 am on Monday. The report said he did not attend by the specified time and instead requested more time through an email to the police station.
Police subsequently reached Banerjee’s residence again and issued another notice directing him to appear on Wednesday. The report does not state whether the MP accepted the fresh summons or whether police have taken any further legal action over his non-appearance.
The case relates to an incident on 27 August, when Kolkata Municipal Corporation workers went to Banerjee’s Camac Street office to remove a billboard that the civic body described as illegal. The removal operation reportedly led to a confrontation involving security personnel at the office, police and municipal workers.
The report said police alleged that officers were assaulted when they attempted to enter the office and that some police personnel fell on a staircase during the altercation. Municipal workers were also allegedly obstructed and assaulted. Several people were detained in connection with the incident, according to the report.
The billboard was eventually removed by the municipal corporation despite the resistance. The civic body later filed complaints against Banerjee and several other Trinamool Congress leaders over alleged obstruction of officials carrying out their duties. Three cases were reportedly registered by the municipality in relation to the allegations.
Banerjee had previously been questioned for around five hours in another case filed by the municipal corporation, the report said. Monday’s summons was issued in connection with another first information report registered at the Shakespeare Sarani police station on the basis of the civic body’s complaint.
The dispute places the enforcement of outdoor advertising rules alongside the legal protection available to municipal and police personnel carrying out an official operation. The supplied report records the civic body’s position that the billboard was illegal, but does not provide the relevant municipal order, the billboard’s ownership details or a response from Banerjee’s office to the allegations.
The immediate next step identified in the report is Banerjee’s proposed appearance before Shakespeare Sarani police on Wednesday. The police response to his request for additional time and any further action after the fresh notice remain to be established.
