Trinamool Congress leaders Abhishek Banerjee and Derek O’Brien have been booked for assaulting police personnel and obstructing them from discharging their duties. Three FIRs have been registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and at least 13 persons have been arrested in connection with the incident.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders Abhishek Banerjee and Derek O’Brien are embroiled in a legal dispute following an altercation with Kolkata Police over the removal of a party signboard from a building on Camac Street. According to The Hindu, three First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered under sections pertaining to unlawful assembly, obstructing and assaulting public servants, causing hurt, criminal intimidation, use of force against a woman, and other offenses.
The incident occurred on Thursday when a team of police personnel, accompanied by municipal corporation officials, arrived at the TMC office to remove the signboard. The board, with the name ‘All India Trinamool Congress’, was installed on the top of the building, most of which is part of Banerjee’s office.
TMC leaders attempted to stop the removal and questioned whether the authorities had the necessary orders. However, the police entered the building and removed the board. During this process, Derek O’Brien reportedly fell on the stairs, as reported by The Hindu.
In one of the FIRs, the police have alleged that the signboard was hanging dangerously, with the municipal corporation having been directed to remove it for safety reasons. Additionally, they claimed that while assisting the municipal officials, some unknown persons obstructed their personnel on the staircase and snatched a government-issued wireless handheld radio from a constable.
After the incident, Banerjee reportedly inquired about the Bharatiya Janata Party deciding which billboards he could put outside his office. He also expressed concern over the 400 posters of the BJP on the same road and whether any would be removed by the police or Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).
On Thursday, the TMC stated that the KMC had failed to provide a valid notice about the signboard. The party also alleged that municipal officials assaulted Banerjee and O’Brien after 'trespassing' into the party office. They further claimed that the office’s women security personnel's clothes were torn by the officials.
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