All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) General Secretary and Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee on Friday, 6 November publicly accused the West Bengal Police of conducting surveillance on his residence and office in Kolkata, posting evidence of an alleged reconnaissance operation on social media. The accusation marks the second serious allegation Banerjee has levelled against the state police within a single 24-hour period.

What Abhishek Banerjee Alleged

In a social media statement, Banerjee claimed that unidentified individuals had been monitoring his office and home for two consecutive days. He attached a photograph and a video of a motorcycle, along with its registration number, to substantiate the claim. 'For the past two days, a few unidentified individuals have been conducting reconnaissance of my office and residence. The registration number of their motorcycle is mentioned below. When confronted, they claimed to be police personnel,' Banerjee wrote.

The TMC General Secretary sharply questioned the authority behind the alleged watch. 'Why is the State Police allegedly spying on and snooping around the office and residence of an elected Member of Parliament? Who authorised this surveillance and for what purpose?' he asked. He also demanded 'an immediate and thorough inquiry to establish the identity of these individuals, who sent them, and to uncover the nefarious motive behind this suspected conspiracy.'

Escalation: MHA and Lok Sabha Speaker Sought

Banerjee announced his intention to formally draw the attention of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), and the state police hierarchy to the matter. The decision to invoke the Speaker and central home ministry signals a deliberate attempt to elevate the dispute beyond the state's jurisdiction, applying political and institutional pressure on the West Bengal government.

The Earlier Allegation: Cash 'Planted' at Party Office

On Thursday, Banerjee had alleged that cash worth ₹1,02,79,000 recovered by police from a Trinamool Congress party office at Sarisha under Diamond Harbour Police Station in South 24 Parganas district on Wednesday had been planted by the police administration — a charge the police have not publicly responded to, according to available reports.

Banerjee additionally alleged that his executive assistant Sumit Roy, who is currently in police custody, is 'constantly being threatened with an encounter' and is being pressured to give statements against him. These are serious allegations; NationPress could not independently verify the claims, and the West Bengal Police had not issued a formal rebuttal at the time of publication.

Background and What It Signals

Abhishek Banerjee is considered the second most powerful figure in the Trinamool Congress after party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and his Diamond Harbour seat recorded one of the highest victory margins in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The back-to-back allegations against the state's own police force — which operates under a government his party controls — are politically unusual and suggest a deepening factional or institutional strain within West Bengal's power structure. Notably, the state police report to the state home department, raising pointed questions about the chain of command behind the alleged surveillance.

The situation is fast-moving; further developments are expected as Banerjee formally approaches the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Ministry of Home Affairs.