Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee faces a fresh legal challenge as a complaint has been filed before the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court in West Bengal’s Krishnagar.
The complaint alleged large-scale illegal excavation of soil, felling of valuable trees and destruction of government property at the abandoned Palashi Sugar Mill area in Nadia’s Kaliganj.
The case, filed by local social activist Bapan Ghosh, a resident of Debagram in Kaliganj, names Abhishek Banerjee along with 29 others, including former MLA Hasanuzzaman Sheikh, Trinamul MLA Alifa Ahmed, industrialist Sunil Khetan and several local political leaders.
The complainant alleged that since 2016, land mafias allegedly targeted thousands of acres of land under the Palashi Sugar Mill, extracting and selling soil illegally and cutting down a large number of trees. This caused financial losses worth crores of rupees to the government and damaged the local environment.
According to Ghosh, repeated complaints were submitted to the district administration, the Land and Land Reforms Department, Forest Department and police authorities, but no effective action was taken. He further alleged that those opposing the activities were threatened with serious consequences.
“After the change of government, people have regained confidence to raise their voice. That is why I approached the court so that those responsible for destroying the mill’s property and environment are punished,” Ghosh said after filing the petition.
Advocate Shirshendu Das, appearing in the case, alleged that after the Trinamool Congress came to power in 2011 and returned to office in 2016, organised groups of land mafias became active around the Palashi Sugar Mill area. He claimed that around 33,000 bighas of land spread across Nadia, Murshidabad and parts of Burdwan were allegedly affected by illegal soil extraction and tree cutting.
The complaint has accused several local political figures, including former and current Trinamul representatives, panchayat-level leaders and local businessmen, of allegedly facilitating the activities.
Alleging political patronage behind the operation, Ghosh claimed that such activities could not have continued without the support of influential leaders. However, the allegations are yet to be established in court.
When asked about Abhishek Banerjee’s alleged involvement, Ghosh claimed that local operators were working under the protection of a wider political network. He alleged that the illegal proceeds from soil and tree sales were being routed through that network.
The court accepted the complaint and registered the case as Case No. 494/26. The next date of hearing has been fixed for 12 August 2026.
The accused persons have not yet issued a formal response to the allegations.