TMC Leaders Clash With Police Over Billboard Removal

Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) officials and Kolkata Police dismantled an All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) billboard from the rooftop of MP Abhishek Banerjee's office on Camac Street on Thursday. KMC officials stated the billboard was installed illegally and lacked required permissions. The operation escalated into a confrontation as Banerjee and other TMC leaders, including MP Derek O'Brien, formed a human barricade to block officials. Police eventually forced entry through a locked door to reach the rooftop, resulting in a scuffle during which O'Brien reportedly fell on a staircase.

Banerjee characterized the action as a "political vendetta" and alleged collusion between the police and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). TMC leaders, including MLA Kasem Siddique and Humayun Kabir, criticized the deployment of 250 to 300 police officers as disproportionate and claimed that personnel assaulted staff and female workers. They further alleged that the removal notice was unsigned and that authorities arrived without prior notice to disrupt a party program.

Kolkata Police reported that 12 people were detained following the incident, while some officers alleged they were assaulted by TMC workers. BJP leader Dilip Ghosh dismissed the claims of bias, asserting that police were simply performing their duties. The TMC has filed a petition with the Calcutta High Court to challenge the action, with a hearing scheduled for Friday.