Kolkata Police Question TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee for Four Hours Over CEC Social Post

Kolkata Police interrogated Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee for nearly four hours on Saturday over an FIR stemming from a social media post targeting Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The Diamond Harbour lawmaker arrived at Bhowanipur police station ahead of his scheduled 12:30 pm summons, answered questions from investigators, and walked out to high-decibel street confrontations between rival party cadres.

Banerjee refused to back down. Speaking directly to reporters after exiting the police station, the Diamond Harbour MP insisted he held nothing back from investigators, framing the police action as an attempt at political intimidation.

“

I have nothing to hide. In the past too, whenever they have summoned me, I have gone. If they summon me in the future, I will go. This shows their childishness. They think that if a police notice arrives or a bulldozer runs, I will get scared. I am not one of those who get scared. Use whatever power you have; put all your strength. Put me in jail, strangle me, but this head will not bow before anyone.
Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamool Congress MP

Interrogation at Bhowanipur and the May 2 Post

The inquiry stems from a First Information Report registered on May 27, initiated after a formal complaint filed by Bhowanipur resident Arnab Kanti Das. The complaint targeted a message posted by Banerjee on X on May 2, wherein the TMC leader allegedly labeled Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar a "puppet of the anti-Bengali Gujarati gang."

Das told investigators that Banerjee's characterization was deliberately incendiary. The complainant asserted that branding an entire regional community as a "gang" or criminal syndicate insulted the Gujarati people, eroded communal harmony, and undermined national unity. Kolkata Police subsequently booked the case under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, lodging formal accusations covering the promotion of enmity between groups, statements conducive to public mischief, incitement to violence, and the disturbance of public order.

Case Parameter	Official Status
Accused	Abhishek Banerjee, MP (Diamond Harbour)
Investigating Agency	Kolkata Police (Bhowanipur Police Station)
Date of Incident Post	May 2 on X
FIR Registration Date	May 27
Legal Framework	Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)
Primary Charges	Promoting enmity, public mischief, inciting violence, disturbing public order

Street Protests and Political Crossfire Outside the Station

Tensions erupted on the tarmac outside the station gates as the interrogation concluded. Demonstrators clashed verbally in the sweltering heat. BJP cadres gathered along the perimeter shouted slogans of "chor, chor" as Banerjee's convoy prepared to depart.

TMC workers pushed back immediately. Party loyalists alleged that opposition organizers paid agitators small sums to stage theatrical demonstrations, arguing that the demonstration sought to divert public attention from joblessness and unfulfilled welfare promises regarding the Annapurna scheme across the state.

Why It Matters

The police interrogation marks an escalating legal clash between central electoral authorities, opposition leaders, and state enforcement bodies. With authorities reviewing speech under strict public order provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the inquiry establishes a critical benchmark for how aggressively law enforcement prosecutes political rhetoric directed at statutory election officials.

Police officials confirmed the recorded statement remains under scrutiny as investigators evaluate whether to issue further notices or file an official chargesheet before the competent magistrate court.