A joint police team from West Midnapore district raided the Kalighat Road residence of All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee at around 3 am on Saturday, 13 June, in a bid to trace his executive assistant Sumit Roy, who is currently absconding in a land-grabbing case registered at Salboni Police Station. The search, backed by mobile tower location data, lasted over two hours but failed to locate Roy.

How the Raid Unfolded

A team from Salboni Police Station, led by a Deputy Superintendent of Police and accompanied by Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel, arrived at Abhishek Banerjee's south Kolkata home in the early hours. A local team from Kalighat Police Station also joined shortly after. The joint team — which included a significant number of women personnel — knocked repeatedly at the entrance gate but received no response.

After waiting for over two hours without any reply, the team broke open the lock of the entrance gate with assistance from state Disaster Management Department personnel and entered the premises. Despite a thorough search, Roy was not found, and the joint team eventually withdrew from the site.

Why Abhishek Banerjee's Home Was Targeted

According to sources, the search was triggered by mobile tower data showing Roy's phone last pinging at Abhishek Banerjee's Kalighat Road address. State police sources said the tower location continued to show Roy's mobile at the same premises until approximately 2.30 am — just before the team's arrival. The raid was not directed at Abhishek Banerjee himself but at locating the absconding aide.

Roy faces a complaint at Salboni Police Station in a land-grabbing case. Notably, earlier this month, police arrested former TMC legislator from Medinipur Assembly constituency, Sujoy Hazra, on charges filed at the same police station, including land grabbing and extortion. However, state police are yet to clarify whether the charges against Hazra and Roy relate to the same case.

Mamata Banerjee Rushes to the Spot

On learning of the raid, former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee — Abhishek's aunt — rushed to the Kalighat Road residence from her nearby home on Harish Chatterjee Street. Her presence at the scene underscored the political sensitivity of the operation.

Abhishek Banerjee subsequently accused the police of excesses, telling reporters that security personnel had broken open the lock of his entrance gate to gain entry.

Three Days of Interrogation Ahead

The raid comes at a particularly fraught moment for the TMC General Secretary, who faces interrogation by two separate agencies across three consecutive days. On Sunday, 14 June, he is scheduled to appear before the state police's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Bhavani Bhavan for a second round of questioning in a case involving alleged signature mismatches on a resolution concerning appointments of opposition leaders in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly. He had already undergone a marathon grilling in the same matter on Thursday.

On Monday, 15 June, Abhishek Banerjee is due to face the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at its Salt Lake office in connection with the multi-crore cash-for-school-job case. The ED had served him a notice in the matter on 3 June.

On Tuesday, 16 June, he is again required to appear before the CID in a separate case where he has been accused of inciting violence and threatening Union Home Minister Amit Shah ahead of the recent Assembly elections. CID officials served him a notice in that matter on Thursday evening.

With the raid, the absconding aide, and three back-to-back interrogation summons converging in a single weekend, the political and legal pressure on West Bengal's ruling party is set to intensify in the days ahead.