The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) on Thursday wrote to President Droupadi Murmu and West Bengal Governor RN Ravi, seeking meetings with party delegations over what it described as “utter lawlessness” and the alleged misuse of police in West Bengal.
The move came hours after the Kolkata office of TMC general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee was allegedly ransacked and looted by unidentified men in the early hours of Thursday.
Banerjee shared CCTV footage on social media that purportedly showed masked men entering the office and fleeing with electronic equipment, including a television and other gadgets. The office is located on the seventh floor of a multi-storey building on Camac Street in Kolkata.
What happened at Abhishek Banerjee’s office?
Banerjee alleged that the BJP was behind the attack and questioned whether senior authorities, including the Prime Minister’s Office and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, would take action over the incident.
“This is what the BJP has done to my party office in the early hours of this morning,” Banerjee said while sharing the purported CCTV footage.
He also urged the judiciary, particularly the Calcutta High Court, to take note of what he described as “violence, vandalism and intimidation” in the state.
The allegations have not been independently established.
Abhishek Banerjee targets Suvendu Adhikari
Banerjee also launched a direct attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, accusing him of using intimidation against the Opposition.
“If this is how the Opposition is to be treated in West Bengal, through violence, vandalism and intimidation, then the Chief Minister has no moral authority to remain in office. He must resign,” Banerjee said.
He also questioned why Adhikari was allegedly “so scared of the Trinamool Congress and of me”.
TMC MP Mahua Moitra also reacted to the incident, describing the visuals as resembling “a coup in a banana republic”. She alleged that BJP workers were responsible for the “open loot & destruction” at the office and questioned the absence of police during the incident.
Six people detained
Police have detained six people for questioning in connection with the alleged break-in and vandalism. An investigation is underway.
TMC IT Cell in-charge Upashna Chaudhary also alleged that people associated with the BJP were behind the attack.
Chaudhary claimed that the men arrived at around 3:30 am, assaulted security guards and forcibly entered the office before vandalising the premises. She said the condition of the office was “far from good”.
The police investigation is expected to establish the circumstances surrounding the break-in and identify those responsible.
