Police carried out a late-night search at the Kolkata home of TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee as part of a land scam probe. A team from Salboni police station in Paschim Medinipur, supported by Kolkata officers, reached the premises around 2 am on Friday. The action followed the arrest of a former Medinipur MLA and local TMC president. The search lasted over four hours, with additional local stations providing help and central forces securing the area. TMC leaders said officers broke a lock to enter, and Banerjee stated that personnel forced their way in and examined the property thoroughly. Party chief Mamata Banerjee was present during the operation. Separately, Banerjee has been called by the state CID for questioning on June 14 in a signature forgery matter. The agency also summoned senior TMC leader and MLA Kunal Ghosh. Both are to appear at the Bhawani Bhawan office in south Kolkata. The case involves alleged signature mismatches on a document sent to the state assembly regarding the appointment of the Leader of Opposition. In another development, the Enforcement Directorate searched seven locations connected to TMC MLA Madan Mitra in a money laundering inquiry tied to a municipal recruitment scam. The raids targeted evidence of irregularities in hiring at several municipalities, including Kamarhati. Investigators reported recovering cash and documents from under a bed and identified six bank accounts for further review. The ED linked Mitra to 125 allegedly irregular appointments and said the operation seeks more details on fund flows and intermediaries. The probes occur amid internal party criticism after recent electoral losses in West Bengal, with some leaders questioning Banerjee’s role.
