Abhishek Banerjee Appears Before Kolkata Police in August 27 Clash Case

MP Abhishek Banerjee arrived at Shakespeare Sarani Police Station in central Kolkata around 11 a.m., accompanied by his lawyer, after receiving a fresh notice directing him to appear for questioning.

He had initially been asked to appear on October 8 but sent an email to the police station requesting at least 48 hours' advance notice of the scheduled time for interrogation. The police subsequently issued another notice asking him to appear on Wednesday. During his earlier questioning in the case, Banerjee spent more than six hours at the police station.

The case relates to a confrontation on August 27, when KMC officials, accompanied by police personnel, arrived at Banerjee's Camac Street office to remove a billboard. The officials allegedly encountered resistance from TMC workers, including party members led by Banerjee and other leaders, resulting in scuffles at the site.

Three first information reports (FIRs) were registered at Shakespeare Sarani Police Station in connection with the incident. According to the FIRs, police have accused TMC activists of assaulting personnel on duty and attempting to outrage the modesty of a woman police officer. These remain allegations under investigation and have not been established as proven offences.

Banerjee, senior TMC leader and Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien, and other party leaders, including Humayun Kabir and Baishwanar Chatterjee, have been named in two of the three FIRs. Police have arrested 14 people so far in connection with the clashes.

Banerjee's appearance comes as investigators continue examining the circumstances surrounding the confrontation between civic officials, police personnel and TMC workers. The police are investigating the allegations recorded in the FIRs and the roles of those named in the case as they work to establish the sequence of events that led to the August 27 incident.