Abhishek Banerjee accuses BJP government of political intimidation in West Bengal

Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee has accused the BJP government in West Bengal of using state agencies to intimidate his associates. The BJP rejected the allegations, saying police action is aimed at ensuring accountability and tackling alleged corruption

New Delhi/Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee has launched a scathing attack on the newly formed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in West Bengal, accusing it of unleashing “political intimidation at its worst” following a series of detentions and police summons.

In a strongly worded post on X on Thursday evening, Banerjee wrote: “Over the past couple of weeks, STF/CID @WBPolice has, without proper notice and in violation of basic legal safeguards, abruptly summoned or randomly picked up nearly 25 people connected to my office or associated with me, all in the name of interrogation. They are being intimidated, threatened and pressured to give false statements against me. Phones are being tapped and even family members, including women, are being harassed and threatened. This is political intimidation at its worst. A government whose own Chief Minister was caught on camera allegedly taking bribes, with multiple CBI cases hanging over him, is now using state agencies to target me. Do what you can. I will not bow down till my last breath.”

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The Trinamool Congress general secretary’s public outburst signals an escalation in the state’s political climate following the May 2026 Assembly elections, which saw the BJP end the TMC’s 15-year rule in West Bengal.

In his statement, Banerjee alleged that the Special Task Force (STF) and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the West Bengal Police had abruptly picked up or randomly summoned nearly 25 individuals associated with his office.

He claimed that these actions had been carried out over the past couple of weeks without proper legal notices or basic safeguards.

Abhishek Banerjee further alleged that officials were intimidating, threatening and pressuring those detained into giving false statements against him.

He also alleged that phones were being tapped and that family members, including women, were facing intimidation.

The confrontation follows a period marked by legal action and alleged security threats involving Abhishek Banerjee.

The Calcutta High Court recently directed Abhishek Banerjee to appear before the CID to cooperate with an ongoing signature forgery probe. He subsequently complied with the court’s order.

An FIR was registered against the Trinamool Congress general secretary at the Kalighat Police Station over allegations that his security guards travelled on the footrests of his moving convoy.

These legal developments come amid rising tensions, including a recent stone-pelting incident at Abhishek Banerjee’s residence that shattered window panes and an alleged security threat involving an armed individual outside the Kolkata airport exit during his arrival.

The BJP administration has rejected the allegations of political vendetta, shifting the focus to corruption and accountability.

The BJP-led state government has fast-tracked measures such as the newly cleared Anti-Goonda Bill in the West Bengal Assembly, which allows detention without trial to curb public unrest and post-poll violence.

BJP leaders, including the party’s West Bengal president Samik Bhattacharya, said the police were doing their job to enforce accountability after years of alleged institutional corruption under the previous TMC government.

They described the public outbursts against former ruling party leaders as “spontaneous public blowback rather than state-orchestrated plots.”