Kolkata Police Demolish Structures Outside Abhishek Banerjee's Residence
Kolkata authorities demolished illegal structures outside MP Abhishek Banerjee's home amid allegations of police surveillance and political clashes between the TMC and BJP.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation and Kolkata Police used bulldozers and gas cutters on November 12, 2026, to remove a makeshift bamboo shed and iron gate from the footpath in front of the Kalighat residence of Abhishek Banerjee. Authorities stated the structures obstructed pedestrian movement on Kalighat Road. Trinamool Congress spokesperson Arka Kumar Nag claimed the structure was originally built by the West Bengal Directorate of Security for Z-plus security personnel, noting that party workers had already begun dismantling it the previous evening.
The demolition occurred amid high tension and heavy security. Banerjee, a Trinamool Congress MP and general secretary, characterized the action as an attempt to silence him and alleged that police have been conducting illegal surveillance and snooping around his home and office. He linked these actions to a November 8 attack by BJP supporters and called for the intervention of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee joined her nephew in protest against the police action. Conversely, BJP leaders dismissed the claims. Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Dilip Ghosh defended the demolition as justified due to the hardships faced by local pedestrians, asserting that Banerjee considered himself above the law. Other BJP officials attributed the local unrest to the TMC's decision to hold birthday celebrations for the MP on a public road.
