TMC billboard row: Now Abhishek Banerjee’s PA summoned for interrogation by Kolkata Police

Kolkata, Aug 30 (IANS) Kolkata Police on Sunday issued a summons to Sumit Roy, the personal assistant of Trinamool Congress’s general secretary and the party’s Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha member, Abhishek Banerjee, for interrogation in connection with FIRs filed over the removal of an illegal billboard from the roof of Banerjee’s party office on Camac Street in Central Kolkata.

A team of police from the Shakespeare Sarani Police Station, on Sunday evening, served him the interrogation notice at Roy’s house in New Alipore, South Kolkata.

He had been asked to be present at the Shakespeare Sarani Police Station by 12 noon on September 2. The police will question Sumit to find out his role in the disturbance at Abhishek’s Camac Street party office on Thursday afternoon, while the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) staff, accompanied by the Kolkata Police personnel, reached the spot to remove that illegal billboard.

Sumit is the third person to be served with an interrogation notice by the Shakespeare Sarani Police Station in the matter.

Earlier, on Sunday, a similar interrogation notice was delivered at the residence of the Rajya Sabha member Derek O’Brien at Prince Anwar Shah Road in South Kolkata. O’Brien has been asked to appear at the Shakespeare Sarani Police Station by 12 noon on Monday, August 31.

Prior to that, on Saturday night, the police from the Shakespeare Sarani Police Station reached the residence of Abhishek at Kalighat Road in South Kolkata and served him the interrogation notice. Abhishek, also the nephew of the former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has been asked to appear at the Shakespeare Sarani Police Station by 12 noon on September 1.

Tension broke out on Camac Street on Thursday afternoon after Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) staff, accompanied by police personnel, reached Abhishek Banerjee’s Camac Street office to remove the illegal billboard.

However, KMC staff and police personnel faced stiff resistance from the party activists led by Abhishek Banerjee, O’Brien and other Trinamool Congress leaders. Scuffles broke out between the police and the party activists.

In the three FIRs filed at Shakespeare Sarani Police Station in the matter, the city police have accused the Trinamool Congress activists of not only assaulting the on-duty cops but also attempting to outrage the modesty of a female police officer.

In two of the three FIRs filed in the matter, Banerjee, O’Brien and other Trinamool Congress leaders, such as Humayun Kabir and Baishwanar Chatterjee, have been named. The police have arrested 14 people in this connection so far.

–IANS

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