Abhishek Banerjee accuses BJP govt in Bengal of ‘political intimidation’, misuse of state agencies
New Delhi/Kolkata, July 3 (IANS) Trinamool Congress (TMC) General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee has launched a scathing attack on the newly formed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in West Bengal, accusing it of unleashing “political intimidation at its worst” following a series of abrupt detentions and police summons.
In a strong worded social media post aimed at the BJP government on at Thursday evening on X, Banerjee wrote: “Over the past couple of weeks, STF/CID @WBPolice has without proper notice and in violation of basic legal safeguards, abruptly summoned or randomly picked up nearly 25 people connected to my office or associated with me all in the name of interrogation. They are being intimidated, threatened and pressured to give false statements against me. Phones are being tapped and even family members including women are being harassed and threatened. This is political intimidation at its worst. A government whose own Chief Minister was caught on camera allegedly taking bribes, with multiple CBI cases hanging over him, is now using state agencies to target me. Do what you can. I will not bow down till my last breath.”
The Trinamool General Secretary’s public outery signals an intense escalation in the state’s political climate following the May 2026 Assembly elections, which saw the BJP end the TMC’s 15-year rule in West Bengal.
In a highly critical public statement, Abhishek Banerjee detailed what he claims is an orchestrated attempt to target his office and supporters through state investigative bodies:
Banerjee alleged that the Special Task Force (STF) and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the West Bengal Police have abruptly picked up or randomly summoned nearly 25 individuals associated with his office.
He said that these actions were carried out over the past couple of weeks without proper legal notices or basic safeguards.
Abhishek Banerjee claimed that officials are intimidating, threatening, and pressuring those detained into giving false statements specifically targeting him.
He also said that phones are being actively tapped and family members, including women, are facing severe intimidation.
The confrontation follows a tumultuous period involving legal actions and physical security threats directed at Abhishek Banerjee.
The Calcutta High Court recently directed Abhishek Banerjee to appear before the CID to cooperate with an ongoing signature forgery probe. He subsequently complied with the court order. An FIR was registered against the Trinamool General Secretary at the Kalighat Police Station over allegations that his security guards travelled hazardously on the footrests of his moving convoy.
These legal actions occur amid a backdrop of rising tensions, including a recent stone-pelting incident at Abhishek Banerjee’s residence that shattered his windows, and an alleged security threat involving an armed individual stationed outside the Kolkata airport exit during his arrival.
The BJP administration has rejected accusations of political vendetta, shifting the focus to corruption and accountability.
The BJP-led state government has fast-tracked measures like the newly cleared “Anti-Goonda Bill” in the West Bengal Assembly, which allows for detention without trial to curb public unrest and post-poll violence.
BJP leaders, including party’s State unit President Samik Bhattacharya, said that police are doing their job to enforce accountability after years of alleged institutional corruption under the previous TMC government.
They have characterised public outbursts against former ruling party leaders as “spontaneous public blowback rather than state-orchestrated plots”.
–IANS
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