Abhishek Banerjee Faces Complaint as Political Heat Rises in West Bengal

Political tensions in West Bengal have intensified after a complaint was lodged against Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee over remarks made during the Assembly election campaign. The complaint alleges that certain statements by the Diamond Harbour MP could be perceived as intimidating and capable of creating political tension. The development coincides with a CID search at Banerjee’s Kolkata residence, which the TMC has described as political vendetta.

Complaint Alleges Remarks Could Trigger Political Tension

A complaint was filed at the Siliguri Cyber Cell police station by Sanjay Kumar Singhal, seeking an inquiry into public statements made by Abhishek Banerjee during the election campaign and their circulation on social media platforms.

According to the complaint, Banerjee’s statements, which are available through public reports and video recordings, raised concerns about their possible impact on public order.

“The statements, as publicly reported and available through video recordings, appear to have warnings and remarks referring to consequences after the conclusion of polling and election results. In my understanding, certain portions of these speeches may be perceived by members of the public as intimidating, provocative, or capable of creating apprehension and political tension,” the complaint stated.

Speaking to ANI, Singhal said the complaint had been registered under case number 175/12/06/2026.

According to him, several remarks made by Banerjee during the campaign were “not in accordance with the law.”

“How can a Member of Parliament break the law? In the remarks he made on May 4th, he invoked the name of the Union Home Minister... An individual considers himself so powerful that he openly challenges the country's Home Minister,” he said.

Singhal further questioned whether elections could remain free from fear under such circumstances.

“Can such an election truly be fear-free? If someone is challenging the Home Minister, the local public must be trembling with fear... He made remarks like, ‘I will play the DJ so loudly that eardrums will burst,’ and ‘Last time we were lenient, but this time we won't be.’ If you aren't lenient, does that mean you'll shoot the public?...”

Complainant Cites Rule of Law, References 2021 Violence

Singhal said his objective was to test whether the principle of equality before the law is upheld in practice.

“My objective in filing this complaint is not to harass anyone or level accusations against anyone. My aim is to demonstrate that the law is supreme. It is often said that the law is equal for everyone; I want to see if that is truly the case. If, following this complaint, the court or the administration fails to take action against him, it will prove that the notion of equality before the law is merely an illusion... He was making highly provocative statements. It makes me shudder to think back to the violence of 2021. Had they won, given the rhetoric they were using, I might not have been in a position to file a complaint by 2026. That trust has now been established,” he said.

He also claimed that the government led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had taken measures to curb post-poll violence.

“Although Suvendu's government has largely managed to control post-poll violence, you would have to admit that containing public outrage is beyond anyone's control. This public anger strikes a blow at the arrogance that was on display before the elections. Throwing an egg doesn't kill anyone. Rather, it shatters their arrogance... It is not the Trinamool party that is disintegrating. It is Trinamool's arrogance that is crumbling.”

CID Search Sparks Fresh Political Row

The complaint comes amid a fresh political controversy after a team of CID officials conducted a search at Abhishek Banerjee’s Kalighat residence in Kolkata on Saturday morning.

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose alleged that officials arrived at the residence in the early hours of the day and carried out an extensive search operation.

“3 AM Saturday June 13. Police arrive at Abhishek Banerjee's @abhishekaitc's Kalighat residence in Kolkata. 5 AM: Disaster Management team called in to break open locks. 6:30 AM: Search begins, from second floor to terrace, lasting 90 minutes. Outcome? Seizure report says : NIL. No evidence. No wrongdoing. NOTHING. Just political vendetta, intimidation and mental torture. Operation Lotus is targeting every leader who refuses to surrender to the BJP's diktat. Disgraceful attack on an opposition leader. VINDICTIVE, CONNIVING, scumbag LOW LIFE tactics. SHAME,” she posted on X.

The Trinamool Congress also criticised the action, stating, “Political vendetta gets from bad to worse.”

According to TMC sources, reports suggesting questionable financial transactions linked to Banerjee’s office were inaccurate.

“There are some source-based leaks by Police officials regarding some transactions. There are absolutely no such transactions or financial activity or anything to do with his PA. This is a clear case of political vendetta by the BJP-led administration, and misinformation is being leaked to the media.

“We are legally taking up the matter of such misinformation being circulated and also being shown,” sources added.

Meanwhile, Kolkata Police has also registered an FIR against Mamata Banerjee. The FIR was filed at Hare Street Police Station on June 7 under Sections 196(1), 351(2) and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

In his complaint, Tushar Kanti Das alleged that on March 9, Banerjee delivered “a misleading speech intended to provoke a breach of peace, affect public tranquillity, maintain communal harmony, and threaten the democratic structure of the state”.

(With inputs from ANI)