TMC billboard row: Abhishek Banerjee's PA summoned by Kolkata Police
Synopsis
What started as a routine KMC billboard removal has spiralled into a full-blown political-legal confrontation: Kolkata Police have now summoned Abhishek Banerjee, Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien, and Banerjee's personal assistant — all in connection with clashes that saw cops allegedly assaulted and a female officer's modesty reportedly outraged. Fourteen arrests and three FIRs later, the ruling TMC is in a direct standoff with the city's own police force.
Key Takeaways
Sumit Roy , PA to TMC's Abhishek Banerjee , was summoned by Kolkata Police on 30 August for questioning on 2 September .
Roy is the third person summoned by Shakespeare Sarani Police Station in the billboard row.
Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien was asked to appear by 12 noon on 31 August ; Abhishek Banerjee by 12 noon on 1 September .
The confrontation on Camac Street on Thursday involved KMC staff removing an allegedly illegal billboard from Banerjee's party office.
Three FIRs have been filed, alleging assault on police and an attempt to outrage the modesty of a female officer.
14 people have been arrested in connection with the incident so far.
Kolkata Police on Sunday, 30 August issued a summons to Sumit Roy, personal assistant to All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) general secretary and Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee, for interrogation in connection with three FIRs filed over a violent confrontation at Banerjee's party office on Camac Street, Central Kolkata. The notice makes Roy the third person summoned by the Shakespeare Sarani Police Station in the escalating billboard removal row.
How the Summons Was Served
A team from the Shakespeare Sarani Police Station served the interrogation notice at Roy's residence in New Alipore, South Kolkata, on Sunday evening. He has been directed to appear at the station by 12 noon on 2 September. Police intend to question him about his specific role during the disturbance on Thursday afternoon, when Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) staff, accompanied by police personnel, arrived at the Camac Street office to remove what authorities described as an illegal billboard mounted on the building's roof.
Who Else Has Been Summoned
Roy's summons follows two earlier notices issued the same day. Rajya Sabha member Derek O'Brien received a notice at his residence on Prince Anwar Shah Road, South Kolkata, directing him to appear by 12 noon on Monday, 31 August. On Saturday night, police served Abhishek Banerjee himself at his home on Kalighat Road, South Kolkata; he has been asked to appear by 12 noon on 1 September. Banerjee is also the nephew of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
What Triggered the Confrontation
Tension erupted on Camac Street on Thursday afternoon after KMC officials and police personnel arrived to pull down the reportedly illegal billboard. According to police accounts, TMC activists — led by Abhishek Banerjee, O'Brien, and other party leaders — mounted stiff resistance, resulting in scuffles between activists and on-duty officers. The police have since filed three FIRs at Shakespeare Sarani Police Station, alleging that TMC activists assaulted on-duty cops and that a female police officer was subjected to an attempt to outrage her modesty.
FIRs and Arrests
In two of the three FIRs, Abhishek Banerjee, Derek O'Brien, and TMC leaders Humayun Kabir and Baishwanar Chatterjee have been named. Kolkata Police have arrested 14 people in connection with the incident so far. This is a significant escalation in what began as a routine municipal enforcement action.
What Comes Next
With three senior TMC figures — including a sitting Lok Sabha member and a Rajya Sabha member — now under summons, the episode has widened into a direct confrontation between the ruling party's leadership and the city's law enforcement machinery. How Abhishek Banerjee and O'Brien respond to their respective appearances will determine the next phase of the legal proceedings.
Point of View
The ruling party and the city's police apparatus nominally answer to the same government, yet here they are on opposite sides of three FIRs. Summoning a sitting Lok Sabha member, a Rajya Sabha member, and their aide within 48 hours is an unusually aggressive posture for a police force that operates under a state government the TMC controls. Either the police are acting with unusual autonomy, or there are fissures within the party-state machinery that this episode is exposing. The allegation that a female officer's modesty was outraged — if it holds in court — adds a dimension that will be difficult for TMC's leadership to politically manage, regardless of the legal outcome.
NationPress
31 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was Sumit Roy summoned by Kolkata Police?
Sumit Roy, personal assistant to TMC's Abhishek Banerjee, was summoned for interrogation over his alleged role in the clashes at Banerjee's Camac Street party office on Thursday. The confrontation occurred when KMC staff and police arrived to remove an illegal billboard, and Roy has been asked to appear at Shakespeare Sarani Police Station by 12 noon on 2 September.
What happened at Abhishek Banerjee's Camac Street office?
On Thursday afternoon, KMC officials accompanied by police reached the Camac Street office to remove an illegal billboard from the roof. TMC activists, reportedly led by Abhishek Banerjee and Derek O'Brien, resisted the move, resulting in scuffles. Police allege their personnel were assaulted and that a female officer's modesty was outraged.
Who else has been summoned in the TMC billboard row?
Abhishek Banerjee was summoned on Saturday night and asked to appear on 1 September; Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien was summoned on Sunday and asked to appear on 31 August. Sumit Roy is the third person summoned, directed to appear on 2 September.
How many FIRs have been filed and who is named in them?
Three FIRs have been filed at Shakespeare Sarani Police Station. In two of them, Abhishek Banerjee, Derek O'Brien, and TMC leaders Humayun Kabir and Baishwanar Chatterjee are named. Police have arrested 14 people in connection with the incident.
What is the legal significance of the summons issued to Abhishek Banerjee?
Abhishek Banerjee is a sitting Lok Sabha member and TMC's general secretary, making his summoning by city police a politically significant step. Being named in two of the three FIRs means he could face formal questioning on allegations including assault on police personnel, depending on how the investigation proceeds.
