Police in Kolkata detained Kalicharan Banerjee, alias Kali — the former Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to ex-Mayor Firhad Hakim — on Thursday evening, 25 June, in connection with the roof collapse of an under-construction warehouse in the city's Taratala area. The detention came hours after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari named the aide on the floor of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, signalling the probe was closing in on the civic body's approval chain. So far, 11 people have died and 19 others have been rescued alive from the rubble.

What the Chief Minister Said in the Assembly

Addressing the House on Thursday, Chief Minister Adhikari stopped short of using the full name but left little ambiguity: 'No plan is passed in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation unless Kali is mentioned,' he declared. He went further, alleging systemic corruption in the sanction of building plans within the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) area, and attributed a large share of those irregularities to the same individual.

'Once Kali is arrested, all the information will surface. Kali used to influence KMC's sanction plans. He is the one who is behind the construction of the Trinamool Bhavan on the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. An FIR has been registered. We will take action and no one will be spared,' Adhikari said. Police moved within hours of that statement.

Who Is Kalicharan Banerjee

Kalicharan Banerjee is a state government employee who previously served in the West Bengal Police before moving into the administrative cadre. He joined the KMC after Firhad Hakim became Kolkata Mayor following the resignation of Sovan Chatterjee in late 2018. Beyond his OSD role, Banerjee also served as the controlling officer for the MP Fund and the MLA Area Development Project. According to civic sources, he was regarded as Hakim's 'right hand' and wielded considerable influence — with no major construction work in the city reportedly proceeding without his clearance.

The Approval Trail Under Scrutiny

The warehouse roof that gave way on Wednesday had received approval from the KMC. Chief Minister Adhikari stated in the Assembly that Firhad Hakim had personally signed the approval letter for the structure. Investigators are now examining whether the warehouse design was faulty and whether mandatory soil testing was conducted before construction began. The central question is how clearances were granted despite alleged deficiencies in the structural plan — and Banerjee is being questioned on precisely those aspects.

Notably, the Kolkata Port area, where the warehouse is located, falls within Hakim's own Assembly constituency. A company named Behera Brothers had reportedly taken a 30-year lease of the warehouse land from the Kolkata Port Authority. Its owner, Shambhunath Behra, is among the five persons arrested so far — four of whom were named in the FIR. Under standard procedure, construction on Port Authority leased land requires explicit permission from the authority; according to sources, no objection was raised in this case. Local sources have also alleged the existence of a syndicate system linked to the warehouse's construction.

Casualties and Rescue Operations

The death toll from the Taratala warehouse roof collapse stands at 11, with 19 survivors rescued alive and currently undergoing treatment at SSKM Hospital in Kolkata. The incident has triggered a political firestorm over the KMC's building-approval process and the alleged role of influential intermediaries in greasing those clearances.

What Happens Next

With Banerjee in custody and five arrests already made, investigators are expected to widen the probe to examine the full approval chain — from design submission to KMC sign-off to Port Authority clearance. Political pressure is mounting on the state government to act swiftly, and any evidence linking senior civic or political figures to the approvals could significantly escalate the case in the days ahead.