Camac Street dispute escalates as a TMC banner returns after civic officials remove the signboard; Abhishek Banerjee warns of legal action.
Qalam Times News Network
Kolkata , August 27, 2026
Camac Street remained at the centre of a political and legal confrontation on Thursday after Kolkata Municipal Corporation officials removed a large Trinamool Congress signboard from the office associated with party leader Abhishek Banerjee. Hours later, a fresh TMC banner bearing the party’s name and symbol was put up at the same location by supporters, intensifying the dispute over the signage.
The Camac Street office, located on the seventh floor of a building, is used by Abhishek Banerjee, the Diamond Harbour MP and senior TMC leader. Municipal officials arrived at the premises on Thursday afternoon, alleging that the large billboard carrying the Trinamool Congress name had been constructed illegally. Police personnel accompanied the civic team during the operation.
The municipal team reportedly faced resistance when officials attempted to enter the office. Banerjee subsequently reached the spot, while senior TMC leaders including Baiswanar Chatterjee and Derek O’Brien were also present. A prolonged verbal confrontation followed between the party leaders and officials.
The situation later escalated when a police contingent wearing protective helmets entered the office. A scuffle reportedly broke out between police personnel and people inside the premises. Police alleged that some individuals associated with the office obstructed them in the discharge of their duties and that a police officer was assaulted during the confrontation.
The TMC side, however, put forward a different account. Party representatives accused the authorities of forcibly entering private property and alleged that women present at the premises were harassed. The competing allegations have added another layer to an already politically charged dispute.
Police detained 12 people from the office in connection with Thursday’s confrontation and took them to a police station for questioning.
Speaking to journalists outside the office later in the evening, Abhishek Banerjee strongly criticised the municipal and police action. He maintained that the office was being used legitimately and that the property had been rented in the name of the Trinamool Congress. According to Banerjee, rent had been paid regularly for the premises for the past six to seven years.
Banerjee also questioned why the municipal authorities had targeted the TMC signboard when other billboards were present in the same building. He said the party would challenge the action through the courts and would pursue the matter as far as necessary.
He further stated that if the banner was removed again, he would put it up again, arguing that no illegal or unethical activity had taken place at the office.
Banerjee accused the BJP of using the police to target the Trinamool Congress despite the party’s electoral defeat. He questioned why, if the TMC was no longer a political threat, the BJP and the authorities were allegedly so concerned about the party’s activities.
He said the party was prepared to approach the Supreme Court and stressed that democratic institutions and the judiciary remained the proper avenues for resolving such disputes.
The TMC leader also issued a strong warning to the police officers involved in Thursday’s operation. He alleged that some officers who entered the office were not carrying identification documents and claimed that the police action had been undertaken to satisfy the BJP. Banerjee said he would take steps to seek disciplinary action against every officer he believed was responsible.
He also alleged that police personnel had attempted to push one of the people inside the office from the seventh-floor railing. That allegation, like several other claims made during the confrontation, remains disputed.
Meanwhile, BJP leader and Baranagar MLA Sajol Ghosh sharply criticised Banerjee’s response. Referring to the confrontation, Ghosh said that if Banerjee believed the Kolkata Municipal Corporation or police had acted unlawfully, he could have approached the courts instead of allowing the situation to develop into a physical confrontation.
Ghosh questioned whether alleged assaults on police officers and obstruction of government officials could themselves be considered lawful. He also referred to previous controversies involving police action against political figures, including the detention of Kaustav Bagchi and an alleged incident involving his own residence, while questioning the standards being applied by the TMC.
The dispute over the signboard has therefore moved beyond a municipal enforcement issue and become another political confrontation between the TMC, BJP and state authorities. With Banerjee promising a legal challenge and the banner returning to the office after the civic team’s departure, the matter is now expected to be contested both politically and in court.
