Police enter Abhishek Banerjee residence in search for absconding aide; Mamata rushes to nephew’s home
The Statesman | 13 June 2026
A pre-dawn search operation at the Kolkata residence of Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee triggered political attention on Saturday after police entered the premises while looking for his executive assistant, Sumit Roy, who is reportedly absconding in an ongoing case.
The operation began around 3 am at Banerjee’s Kalighat Road residence in south Kolkata. Police officials from Salboni police station in West Midnapore, led by a Deputy Superintendent of Police and accompanied by central armed police personnel, reached the location as part of efforts to trace Roy.
According to sources, investigators suspected Roy could be present at the residence. However, police have not disclosed details of the case in which he is wanted.
Officials repeatedly knocked at the entrance but reportedly received no response. A team from the local Kalighat Police Station later joined the operation.
After waiting for more than two hours outside the residence, the police team entered the premises by breaking open the entrance lock with assistance from personnel of the state Disaster Management Department.
The search continued for over two hours before the police and security personnel left the residence.
News of the operation prompted Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to arrive at the residence from her nearby home on Harish Chatterjee Street.
Speaking to reporters later, Abhishek Banerjee accused the police of excesses and alleged that security personnel had entered the property after breaking the lock of the main gate.
The development comes just before a series of scheduled appearances by the Trinamool leader before investigating agencies.
On June 14, Banerjee is expected to appear before the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Bhavani Bhavan in connection with a probe into alleged discrepancies in the signatures of some Trinamool legislators on a resolution related to the appointment of opposition leaders in the West Bengal Assembly.
He had already been questioned in the matter earlier this week.
On June 15, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is set to question him in the alleged cash-for-school-job case. The central agency had issued him a notice on June 3.
A day later, on June 16, Banerjee is scheduled to appear again before the CID in connection with a case linked to allegations that he threatened Union Home Minister Amit Shah and incited violence ahead of the recent Assembly elections.