Police warning at former Rishra TMC leader Zahid Hasan Khan’s home sparks controversy in Hooghly ahead of Mamata Banerjee’s proposed Srirampur programme.
Qalam Times News Network
Rishra, September 8, 2026
Police Warning: Officers Visit Former Rishra Civic Leader’s Residence Ahead of Mamata Banerjee’s Political Programme
Police warning has triggered a political controversy in Hooghly after officers, accompanied by central armed forces personnel, visited the residence of former Rishra Municipality vice-chairman Zahid Hasan Khan on Tuesday and allegedly told his family that they would continue visiting the house if his son did not appear before the police.
According to the family, neither Zahid Hasan Khan nor his son Shahid was present at the residence when the police team arrived. The visit, however, reportedly continued with officers calling out for the two men and asking Shahid to surrender at the police station.
A police officer was allegedly heard issuing a stern warning in Hindi: “Har din aayega. Jeena haram ho jayega. Neend bhi haram ho jayegi”—roughly meaning that the police would come every day and make life and sleep difficult. The reported remarks have added to the controversy surrounding the police action.
The incident comes at a politically sensitive moment in Hooghly. Former West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to hold a political programme in Srirampur on Friday. The Kalighat faction of the Trinamool Congress has alleged that the police have refused permission for the programme, prompting the party to approach the Calcutta High Court on Monday.
Against this backdrop, several supporters and workers associated with the Kalighat camp were reportedly detained or arrested in Hooghly on Monday. Four supporters of Zahid Hasan Khan were also arrested near his residence, according to the allegations made by the Kalighat TMC leadership.
The party has accused the BJP-led political establishment of using the police machinery to intimidate its leaders, workers and supporters ahead of Mamata Banerjee’s proposed programme. The allegation, however, remains a political claim and has not been independently established.
Police Cite Existing Criminal Cases
Police sources, meanwhile, have offered a different explanation for the action. According to the police version, Shahid is facing a case before the court and officers went to the residence with a warrant to take him into custody.
Police have also maintained that several people arrested in recent days have previous criminal cases pending against them. The allegations against the arrested individuals reportedly include extortion in connection with promises of arranging housing benefits, attempt to murder and other offences.
The police have therefore rejected the suggestion that the arrests are solely connected to the upcoming political programme, saying that the individuals concerned were wanted in connection with earlier cases.
The dispute has nevertheless intensified the political confrontation in Hooghly, with the Kalighat TMC alleging selective police action while the police maintain that they are acting in accordance with existing cases and court orders.
In another development, two former councillors and a Trinamool Congress worker were reportedly arrested in Dankuni. The Kalighat faction has linked these arrests to what it describes as a broader effort to create pressure among party workers before Mamata Banerjee’s Srirampur programme.
With the political temperature rising ahead of Friday’s proposed event, the reported remarks made during the police visit to Zahid Hasan Khan’s residence have become a fresh point of contention. The matter is likely to attract further political and legal attention as both sides continue to put forward sharply different accounts of the police action.
