Barricades outside Mamata’s residence partially removed

After the All India Trinamool Congress lost power and Mamata Banerjee was defeated in Bhabanipur, barricades outside her Harish Chatterjee Street residence in West Bengal were partially removed, signalling reduced security

Kolkata: Barricades outside Mamata Banerjee’s residence that had been a permanent fixture on Harish Chatterjee Street in South Kolkata for more than a decade were partially removed a day after her TMC lost power in the state and she was defeated in the Bhabanipur seat. On Tuesday, police personnel were seen dismantling the blue-and-white guardrails that had restricted public access to the stretch near her 30B residence on the street.

While no official notification was issued by Kolkata Police, an official of the force at a kiosk on the spot said they were instructed on Tuesday morning to remove the smart barricades. He said no reasons have been cited for the removal. “We have followed up on the instruction from the higher authorities,” the official said.

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Though a police kiosk remains in place, the high-intensity security presence associated with the area has visibly diminished. The area in Kalighat under the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency had been a high-security zone where entry of any vehicle was monitored.

A local said that they were often required to show identification documents to access their homes.
However, on Tuesday morning, the restrictions appeared to have eased considerably with the barricades partially removed.