Kolkata Police summons KMC Member-Mayor in Council Baiswanor Chattopadhyay over assault on secretary
Synopsis
A Trinamool Congress councillor and Member-Mayor in Council of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation has been summoned by police after the corporation's own secretary alleged he was heckled and physically assaulted during a chaotic session dispute. The incident exposes a rare and embarrassing internal rift inside the TMC-controlled civic body.
Key Takeaways
Kolkata Police issued summons to Baiswanor Chattopadhyay , KMC Member-Mayor in Council, on Monday, 25 May .
Chattopadhyay, a TMC councillor from Ward 81 , faces charges of heckling and physically assaulting KMC Secretary Kishore Kumar Biswas .
The alleged assault occurred on Friday after KMC Commissioner Smita Pandey cancelled a civic session that was held anyway.
Both the KMC Secretary and the Commissioner filed separate complaints at New Market Police Station .
State Municipal Affairs Minister Agnimitra Paul said on Sunday that harassment of government officials will not be tolerated and action is being taken.
Kolkata Police on Monday, 25 May issued summons to Baiswanor Chattopadhyay, Member-Mayor in Council of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), in connection with allegations of heckling and physically assaulting KMC Secretary Kishore Kumar Biswas. The summons were issued by the New Market Police Station, under whose jurisdiction the KMC Building in central Kolkata falls.
How the incident unfolded
The trouble began on Friday when KMC Commissioner Smita Pandey cancelled a scheduled session of the civic body. Despite the cancellation, KMC Chairperson Mala Roy insisted all councillors be present, and the session proceeded — though the designated session room was locked from the inside, forcing the gathering into the visitors' room.
Trinamool Congress councillors subsequently staged a protest at the Councillors' Club inside the Municipal Building. A delegation, reportedly led by Chattopadhyay — a Trinamool Congress (TMC) councillor from Ward 81 and an advocate by profession — marched to the Municipal Secretary's office demanding the session room be opened. It was during this confrontation that allegations of indecent behaviour and harassment towards Secretary Biswas arose.
Police complaint and summons
Secretary Kishore Kumar Biswas filed a formal complaint at the New Market Police Station on Saturday. The Municipal Corporation Commissioner also separately lodged a complaint. Acting on these complaints, police issued summons to Chattopadhyay on Monday for interrogation. According to sources, investigators want to establish his precise role in the incident.
What Chattopadhyay said
Responding to the allegations, Chattopadhyay invoked his rights as a public representative. 'What I wanted to say is that I have freedom of speech, I am a Member-Mayor in Council. I have the rights. I asked them to open the municipal assembly hall. If there is no freedom of speech, if our Mayoral Council does not have the rights of public representatives, then the state of democracy in India is in peril,' he said.
State government's position
State Municipal Affairs Minister Agnimitra Paul had on Sunday drawn a firm line, stating that harassment or insulting any government official would not be tolerated. She confirmed that action was being taken in response to the manner in which the secretary was allegedly harassed. The minister's remarks signal that the state government is treating the episode as a serious breach of official conduct, even as the accused councillor belongs to the ruling All India Trinamool Congress (TMC).
The case puts an uncomfortable spotlight on internal friction within the TMC-run corporation, and the next steps — including whether Chattopadhyay appears before police and any subsequent legal proceedings — will be closely watched.
Point of View
The civic body he sits on, and the state government that oversees it all belong to the same ruling apparatus. Minister Agnimitra Paul's swift public rebuke suggests the state is trying to contain reputational damage rather than shield the accused, but the optics remain damaging. The deeper issue is institutional: a cancelled session being overruled by a party chairperson, a locked session hall, and a secretary allegedly roughed up by a delegation — these are not isolated lapses but symptoms of a civic body where political authority and administrative authority are visibly at odds. Whether the police follow through with a charge sheet or the summons quietly lapses will test the credibility of the state's zero-tolerance posture.
NationPress
10 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why has Kolkata Police summoned Baiswanor Chattopadhyay?
Kolkata Police summoned Baiswanor Chattopadhyay, Member-Mayor in Council of the KMC, on 25 May 2025 after KMC Secretary Kishore Kumar Biswas filed a complaint alleging he was heckled and physically assaulted by a delegation reportedly led by Chattopadhyay on Friday. The New Market Police Station issued the summons for interrogation to establish his role in the incident.
What triggered the confrontation at the KMC building?
KMC Commissioner Smita Pandey had cancelled a scheduled civic session, but KMC Chairperson Mala Roy insisted it proceed. Because the session room was locked from the inside, the meeting shifted to the visitors' room. TMC councillors then staged a protest and a delegation went to the secretary's office demanding the room be opened, during which the alleged assault occurred.
What action has the state government taken?
State Municipal Affairs Minister Agnimitra Paul said on Sunday that harassment or insulting any government official will not be tolerated and confirmed that action is being taken. The statement is notable because Chattopadhyay is a TMC councillor in the TMC-run corporation.
What is Baiswanor Chattopadhyay's response to the allegations?
Chattopadhyay denied wrongdoing, arguing he was exercising his rights as a public representative by demanding the session hall be opened. He said: 'If there is no freedom of speech, if our Mayoral Council does not have the rights of public representatives, then the state of democracy in India is in peril.'
Who filed the complaints against Chattopadhyay?
Two separate complaints were filed at the New Market Police Station — one by KMC Secretary Kishore Kumar Biswas on Saturday, and another by KMC Commissioner Smita Pandey. Police acted on these complaints to issue the summons.
