A political row escalated in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas on Saturday after authorities began demolishing the alleged unauthorised MP office of Trinamool Congress (TMC) National General Secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee.
Bulldozers were deployed to the office located on the Amtala–Baruipur Road in Amtala after the administration had earlier served a notice claiming the structure had been built without the required permissions.
The demolition was carried out amid heavy security, with police and administrative officials stationed at the site to maintain law and order. Local residents and TMC workers also gathered near the premises as the operation got underway.
The action followed the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) issuing demolition notices for 17 properties recorded in the names of individuals and entities allegedly linked to Abhishek Banerjee, his family members, and his company, Leaps and Bounds. Among the properties that received notices was 'Shantiniketan', Banerjee's residence on Harish Mukherjee Road. The KMC is governed by the Trinamool Congress.
The controversy gained further attention after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released a list of 43 properties that it claimed were associated with the Diamond Harbour MP, including several allegedly co-owned by his associates. The party said the information was sourced from the Kolkata civic body's property records.
However, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale dismissed the BJP's allegations, arguing that the property database included several individuals named Abhishek Banerjee and did not prove that all the listed properties belonged to the TMC leader.
As of Saturday, neither Abhishek Banerjee nor the Trinamool Congress had issued an official statement regarding the demolition of the MP's office.
The development comes amid a series of property-related actions involving leaders of the Mamata Banerjee-led party since the BJP came to power in West Bengal. Earlier this month, authorities demolished a café in South 24 Parganas that was allegedly built on encroached land and linked to the son of TMC leader Saokat Molla.
