Fresh FIR filed against Abhishek Banerjee, several TMC leaders in Diamond Harbour over post-poll violence

Amid mounting troubles for the Kalighat faction of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) party, a fresh FIR has now been lodged against Diamond Harbour MP and party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee at Diamond Harbour police station in West Bengal’s South 24-Parganas district.

According to police sources, the complaint was filed on Wednesday by two residents of Sarisha under the leadership of BJP leader Abhijit Das alias Bobby. Besides Banerjee, several local TMC leaders and party functionaries have also been named in the FIR.

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The complaints relate to separate incidents allegedly linked to post-poll violence following the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and an alleged assault that took place in 2020 during the pandemic.

One of the complainants, Prabir Haldar, alleged that he was attacked while distributing relief materials in his locality during the pandemic in 2020. He claimed that despite approaching the police at that time, no effective action was taken against those he accused of being involved in the incident.

Another complainant, Ashok Barman, a resident of Sarisha, alleged that he became a victim of political violence in the aftermath of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. According to him, repeated appeals to the administration and law enforcement agencies did not yield any result.

The complainants alleged that the prevailing political circumstances at the time prevented a fair investigation into their grievances. They said they have now approached the police again seeking justice. Apart from Banerjee, they have also named his close aide Sumit Roy and several local TMC leaders in their complaints.

Police sources said the FIR has been formally accepted and an investigation has been initiated. Officials, however, declined to comment on the specific sections under which the case has been registered.

The development comes amid heightened political activity in the state and is likely to trigger a fresh political debate over allegations of post-poll violence and the handling of complaints during previous years.

There was no immediate reaction from Banerjee, Roy or the TMC (Kalighat faction) regarding the allegations. Police said further action would be taken based on the findings of the investigation.

The matter is currently under investigation, and no arrests have been reported so far.