The TMC leader put it this way: on Saturday, officers made their way into his house and were there for over four hours, ratcheting up the already tense mood in the state. The TMC says they were forced in; the authorities won’t say what case they are on about.
What you need to know from before dawn
It was just past 3 am when the police showed up at Banerjee’s place in Patuapara, in the Kalighat part of town. They were a mix of men from the Salboni Police Station in Paschim Medinipur and the Kolkata Police. From what we’re told, the central forces set up camp outside while the rest of them went in.
According to the TMC, the police had to break a lock to get in and then made a thorough job of it. “They broke the lock, came in and went through every room,” Banerjee told us later. You could see a number of officers in and out well into the morning.
Why this is making waves
This is not coming out of nowhere. Just two days ago, the West Bengal CID had him in for some questions about a supposed forged-signature matter with the state assembly. On top of that, he has been handed new summons by a few different agencies, so the legal heat has been on in no small measure.
One senior officer will only say it has to do with a case in Paschim Medinipur. But as for the specifics of why they were at his door on Saturday, they have left you to guess.
The official line and the unknowns
With no one in authority offering an explanation as the search wore on, it was bound to be read as a political statement. The central forces held the perimeter while the police worked inside – a high-stakes play that is still hard to fully make out.
Here is what has been put on the record:
– A little after 3 am the police were there
– Both Salboni and Kolkata Police were in force
– Central forces were posted up outside
– It was a four-hour-plus affair
– The TMC is saying the lock was broken
– Mamata Banerjee made her way to the house
– The case file is being kept under wraps
How people are reacting
Mamata Banerjee, the former chief minister, didn’t wait around and headed to the residence. Her side of the story is that it was a forced entry and a dragnet of a search. The officials, for their part, have been quiet on what set it off.
Now all eyes are on whether the authorities will put any of this on the table. After the recent round of CID questioning and the new summons, the stage has been set for a face-off. For Banerjee, it has moved from an interrogation room to his own front step, and the politics of it are only going to get more charged before anything is made formal.
In the aftermath at Patuapara
Even with the sun up, the police were still in the house. You would see an officer or two come out to have a word in the lane and then go back in. It was a sign of how deep they were looking and how long they were willing to stay for it.
Putting it in context
All of this is part of a bigger tussle with the TMC’s national general secretary. Between the CID’s probe into the signature issue and the fresh summons, Banerjee is right in the middle of it. What you can’t quite tell yet is where this latest foray fits in with the rest of the investigation.
