Kolkata, Sept. 1 -- Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee appeared before Kolkata Police on Tuesday after being served a notice in connection with a scuffle between officials and private guards of his office over removing a billboard bearing party signage last week, a senior officer said. Banerjee entered the Shakespeare Sarani police station around 12.15 pm amid slogans raised by his supporters.
Police have made several arrests following the scuffle at Banerjee's Camac Street office here on August 27. Three FIRs have been registered in connection with the incident, with Banerjee named as an accused in two of them, officials said. Party leaders, including Derek O'Brien and former MLA Humayun Kabir, have also been named in the FIRs. According to officials, O'Brien was served a notice on Sunday. Private guards at Abhishek Banerjee's office, his supporters and some party leaders had scuffled with police and Kolkata Municipal Corporation officials, trying to prevent them from entering the building on Camac Street and dismantling an "unauthorised" billboard.
However, the TMC's Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien, who was present at the spot during the raid, described reports of resistance attempts by private guards as "fake news". He said the guards were posted on duty at the entrance of the building. The billboard, bearing TMC signage, set up on an iron structure facing the road on the top floor of the building, was dismantled by the KMC personnel after police forced their way inside. O'Brien had alleged that the police barged into the office with an "illegal" notice, assaulted senior leaders and heckled party supporters and office staff.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.