TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee has filed a formal complaint with Meta (formerly Facebook) regarding an alleged unauthorised breach of his official Facebook page.

The issue came to light on February 11, when Banerjee’s supporters noticed a change in the bio section of his page. The term “All India Trinamool Congress” had been removed, leaving only “The Official page of Abhishek Banerjee I Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha)”. Upon verification, Banerjee said that the alteration had occurred without his consent.

In a letter to Meta, Banerjee’s lawyer, Sanjay Basu, wrote, “At present, approximately 2.2 million people follow my client’s Facebook page.”

“The unauthorised alteration made to my client’s Facebook profile is both harmful and misleading as it tends to misrepresent my client’s political views. (It) has caused significant damage to my client’s reputation and has negatively influenced public perception about my client, especially among his wide support space,” the complaint continues.

Additionally, Banerjee’s legal team has requested an acknowledgment of the “harm caused to his reputation” due to the alleged breach, along with an unconditional apology within seven days.

Basu demanded an explanation from Meta on how it would prevent future unauthorised access, particularly for verified accounts. “I, on behalf of my client, do hereby call upon you to initiate a prompt and thorough investigation into how this breach occurred, including identifying the persons responsible for accessing my client’s account without authorisation,” the letter concludes.