Kolkata witnessed heightened political activity on Saturday as heavy security was deployed at the residence of Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee while police conducted a search operation in connection with an investigation involving his personal assistant, Sumit Roy.
According to reports, officers from Shalboni Police Station, assisted by personnel from Kolkata Police, arrived at Banerjee’s residence early in the morning to search for Roy. The operation was part of an ongoing probe into allegations that Roy accepted money from individuals in exchange for assurances of party election tickets. After completing the search, the police team left the premises.
Amid the developments, TMC chief and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived at Abhishek Banerjee’s residence, drawing further attention to the unfolding political and legal developments.
Reacting strongly to the search operation, Abhishek Banerjee alleged that police conducted the search after breaking open locks at his residence. He claimed that the house was locked when officials arrived and questioned the basis of the operation.
“My whole residence has been searched. Whether I have kept him or not, go and ask the investigative agency,” Banerjee said while responding to media queries.
The search comes a day after the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) served a notice to Banerjee, directing him to appear before investigators on June 16 in connection with a case linked to an alleged provocative statement made during election campaigning.
On Friday afternoon, a CID team visited Banerjee’s residence to personally deliver the notice. However, the TMC leader was reportedly not present at the time, having gone to attend a meeting at the residence of Mamata Banerjee nearby. The officers waited for nearly two hours before eventually handing over the notice to an employee at Banerjee’s office.
A senior police official confirmed that the notice had been duly served and stated that Banerjee had been asked to cooperate with the ongoing investigation by appearing before investigators on the scheduled date.
The case stems from a complaint regarding remarks allegedly made by Banerjee during an election campaign. The complaint was initially registered at Baguiati Police Station before being investigated by the Cyber Crime Police Station under the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate. The matter was later transferred to the CID for further investigation.
In a separate development, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out searches at multiple locations linked to TMC MLA Madan Mitra as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged municipal recruitment scam.
Sources said ED officials conducted raids at eight locations across Kolkata and adjoining districts, including properties associated with Mitra in Bhawanipur, Kamarhati, and Joka. The searches are reportedly aimed at gathering evidence related to alleged irregularities in municipal recruitment processes.
The twin developments involving senior TMC leaders have intensified political attention in West Bengal, with investigations by both state and central agencies continuing. Authorities have indicated that further details are expected to emerge as the probes progress.
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