Chaos at Abhishek Banerjee’s Kolkata Office as KMC Removes TMC Billboard, Derek O’Brien Falls Amid Clash

New Delhi: High drama unfolded outside Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee’s office on Camac Street in Kolkata on Thursday after Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) officials, backed by a large contingent of police personnel, arrived to remove a TMC billboard that civic authorities described as unauthorised.

The civic action soon escalated into a confrontation between TMC leaders, supporters and the police, with Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien seen falling down a staircase amid the chaos. The incident was captured on video and shared by the All India Trinamool Congress.

According to reports, KMC officials arrived at around 3 pm with a notice seeking to remove the billboard carrying the ‘All India Trinamool Congress’ signage from the building housing Abhishek Banerjee’s office. The billboard, installed on an iron structure atop the building and facing the road, was allegedly put up without the required permission.

Abhishek Banerjee, who was present at the office, objected to the action and questioned the validity of the notice. He alleged that the document did not contain a memo number and lacked a photograph of the billboard, despite referring to one as an attachment.

The TMC leader accused the police and civic officials of attempting to enter the office premises without proper authorisation and alleged that the action was politically motivated. He also said that the party would approach the Calcutta High Court over the incident.

As the officials attempted to proceed, TMC leaders, office staff and private security personnel formed a human barricade. The situation quickly turned tense, with pushing and jostling reported between the two sides.

O’Brien was caught in the middle of the confrontation and was seen falling backwards on the staircase as police personnel attempted to move ahead. The incident added to the tension at the office, where a significant police presence had been deployed.

O’Brien later alleged that more than 150 police personnel had entered the building and accused them of pushing and shoving TMC leaders and workers. He also claimed that around 10 to 15 party workers had been detained.

“Abhishek was also there,” O’Brien said, linking the timing of the action to the TMC’s annual students’ rally scheduled for Friday. He alleged that the police action was politically driven and said he would approach the police station over the detention of party workers.

Kolkata Police, however, presented a different account. According to police, TMC workers and supporters obstructed officials and allegedly assaulted several policemen during the operation. A police officer said senior IPS officers had reached the spot following the confrontation.

The KMC maintained that the billboard was unauthorised and that the civic action was being carried out under municipal regulations. Officials eventually removed the TMC flex and the party banner from the terrace after police personnel moved into the building.

Kolkata Police later said that 12 people had been detained in connection with the Camac Street incident, with further details of the case expected to be released.

Abhishek Banerjee subsequently launched a sharp attack on the state administration, alleging an erosion of constitutional governance and accusing the government machinery of turning West Bengal into a “police state”.

“When the power of the State operates without constitutional restraint, the judiciary becomes the last line of defence,” Banerjee said in a post on X, adding that the issue went beyond individual liberty and concerned the “survival of democracy itself”.

The confrontation has triggered a fresh political face-off in West Bengal, with the TMC accusing the administration of targeting the opposition party, while the BJP has defended the civic action, arguing that the KMC was merely enforcing municipal rules. BJP leader Locket Chatterjee said that if the civic body considered the billboard illegal, it was within its mandate to remove it.

The incident comes just a day before the TMC’s annual students’ rally and has added further political heat to an already charged atmosphere in Kolkata.

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