KMC removes makeshift bamboo structure near Abhishek Banerjee’s Kolkata residence

Kolkata: The staff of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), with the help of the personnel from the Kolkata Police, on Thursday removed a makeshift bamboo structure in front of the residence of the Trinamool Congress general secretary and the party’s Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha member, Abhishek Banerjee, at Kalighat in South Kolkata.

The process of removing the makeshift bamboo structure was started by Trinamool Congress workers on Wednesday evening. However, the process was completed later after KMC staff, accompanied by the police, reached the spot with a bulldozer on Thursday morning, demolishing the structure and removing it.

The entire demolition work was conducted in the presence of a huge police contingent, who were there to prevent any escalation of tension.

An iron gate, which was installed outside the boundary wall of the Diamond Harbour MP's residence for a long time, was also removed. The iron gate was first cut with a gas cutter by KMC staff and then removed. The local people had been complaining that this iron gate was installed by encroaching on the footpath.

Trinamool Congress spokesman Arka Kumar Nag, who is also one of the counsels of Abhishek Banerjee, claimed that the process of removing the makeshift structure was initiated on Wednesday evening by the Trinamool Congress staff following the instructions of the Diamond Harbour MP.

‘The temporary structure was meant for the seating arrangement of the police personnel when the Diamond Harbour MP was entitled to ‘Z-Plus’ security during the previous regime. Now, after that change of regime, the ‘Z-Plus’ security had been lifted. So, there was no use for that makeshift construction. Hence, the Diamond Harbour MP instructed the removal of the makeshift bamboo structure,” Nag said.

The shed in front of Abhishek's house has been a topic of debate for the past few days. Tensions flared up in Kalighat on the intervening night of November 6 and November 7 over the MP's birthday celebrations. At that time, many people were seen gathering under the temporary shed. Apart from this, many local residents also started raising questions about the temporary structure. It is alleged that the temporary shed on the footpath was causing problems for pedestrians.

On Wednesday, Abhishek Banerjee accused the Kolkata Police of maintaining constant surveillance around his residence and snooping on him in a social media post. Soon after that, the Trinamool Congress workers began removing the makeshift bamboo structure, and the process was completed this morning by KMC staff with the help of police.

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