TMC office ransacked: Abhishek Banerjee’s ‘thuggery’ barb, BJP’s ‘staged’ reply

Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamool Congress’s national general secretary, has alleged that a group of BJP supporters vandalised his office in Kolkata’s Camac Street in the early hours of Thursday. The Diamond Harbour MP has shared CCTV footage of the incident on X.

“If people can storm a political party office with weapons at 4.30 in the morning, assault people and vandalise property while the police remain absent, then what exactly is left of the rule of law in West Bengal? Enough is enough.

Arrest the perpetrators. Fix accountability. Act now,” said Banerjee, the nephew of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. In another post, which shows shards of glass strewn on the floor, Banerjee said, “This is what the BJP has done to my party office in the early hours of this morning.

Will the Governor of WB act? Will the Union Home Minister act? Will the PMO act? Or will they continue to look the other way? It is high time the judiciary, particularly the Calcutta High Court, takes serious note of what is happening and acts to uphold the rule of law in West Bengal.” “And one simple question for Suvendu Adhikari: why are you so scared of the Trinamool Congress and of me that you have to resort to this kind of intimidation?

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. This is not democracy. This is political thuggery,” he added.

The BJP trashed the allegations and claimed that the Trinamool staged the vandalism at Banerjee’s office. “This is all staged by the Trinamool Congress. The BJP is not involved in all this. They have no (political) issue; that’s why they are doing all this to stay in the limelight.

What were Trinamool workers doing at that office at those hours?” said Sajal Ghosh, BJP’s MLA from Baranagar. A Kolkata Police officer said, “We reached the spot immediately after being informed. We have arrested six people.

We have secured the CCTV footage. A case is being initiated, and our investigation is on. We are also taking statements from people who were inside the office at that time,” said a senior police officer. The Camac Street office used by Abhishek Banerjee has been in the spotlight after a recent visit by officials of Kolkata Municipal Corporation to remove illegal hoardings.

Kolkata Police have filed an FIR against Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamool’s Rajya Sabha MP Derek O Brien and others for resisting municipal officials and police from removing an illegal hoarding at the office. Later, a team from the fire service department visited the office and found safety gaps.

This morning, Trinamool workers and leaders gathered at the Camac Street office to protest the incident of vandalism. Police are now retrieving CCTV footage as part of their investigation to identify the vandals. Ravik Bhattacharya is a highly experienced and award-winning journalist currently serving as the Chief of Bureau of The Indian Express, Kolkata.

With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, Ravik possesses deep expertise across a wide range of critical subjects and geographical areas. Experience & Authority Current Role: Chief of Bureau, The Indian Express, Kolkata.

Expertise: Extensive reporting across West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, and the Andaman Nicobar Islands. Ravik specializes in politics, crime, major incidents and issues, and investigative stories, demonstrating a robust command of complex and sensitive subjects.

Experience: His long and distinguished career includes key reporting roles at several prestigious publications, including The Asian Age, The Statesman, The Telegraph, and The Hindustan Times. Ravik's current role marks his second stint with The Indian Express, having previously served as a Principal Correspondent in the Kolkata bureau from 2005 to 2010.

Major Award: Ravik's authority and quality of work are substantiated by his winning of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award in 2007 for Political Reporting. Education: His strong academic foundation includes a Bachelor's degree with English Honours from Scottish Church College under Calcutta University, and a PG Diploma in Mass Communication from Jadavpur University.

Ravik Bhattacharya's extensive tenure, specialized beat coverage, and notable award confirm his status as a trusted and authoritative voice in Indian journalism, particularly for stories emanating from Eastern India.

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