Abhishek blames BJP for vandalising his office; 6 held

The police on Thursday acted swiftly to arrest six people following a pre-dawn attack and vandalism at the office of Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.

The vandalism took place in the small hours of Thursday when masked men entered the TMC leader's office at posh Camac Street, from where they took away valuables like mobile phones and other electronic equipment. Banerjee alleged accusing the “BJP goons” for the attack.

The BJP promptly denied involvement in the incident, saying the saffron party was not like the TMC and never used such filthy ways. “We are not a party of thieves like the TMC, dozens of whose leaders are presently in jail... We fight from the front and not take recourse to such dirty acts ... BJP is by no means linked to this attack,” party MLA Sajal Ghosh said.

Earlier, accusing the BJP for the vandalism, Banerjee said “what happened at Camac Street this morning was a disgraceful attack on rule of law ... no political party or group of armed hooligans can be above law,” demanding strictest action against those who were involved in the attack.

Demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari for “failing to maintain rule of law” he said, “where during the rule of a Government the sanctity of a political is attacked like this then that Government has no authority to stay in power... He (Adhikari) must resign... This is not democracy... This is political thuggery.”

Banerjee had been under tremendous pressure from the BJP, facing 16 FIRs against his name since the new Government came to power. 

Thursday’s incident came days after the TMC workers led by Banerjee and another party MP Derek O’Brien allegedly got involved in a scuffle with the members of Kolkata Police when a team raided his party office for removing some unauthorised constructions. Both Banerjee and O’Brien have been summoned by the police for questioning in the case.