The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) on Thursday morning removed a makeshift bamboo structure outside the Kalighat residence of Trinamool Congress national general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee, using a bulldozer to clear the footpath, ANI reported. An iron gate outside the boundary wall was also dismantled. Civic officials said the structure stood on the footpath and caused inconvenience to pedestrians using the public pathway.

Source: ANI via DevDiscourse

The structure had reportedly been set up to provide a temporary shelter for security personnel posted at the residence. A large contingent of central security personnel and Kolkata Police was deployed in the area during the operation, and workers removed the bamboo framework, fans and other debris to clear the footpath.

Source: The Indian Witness

The drive came a day after Banerjee alleged on X that Kolkata Police officials were using official police vehicles to conduct surveillance around his residence, and demanded the intervention of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. He wrote that a similar recce had been carried out the previous week, after which his house was attacked on November 7, and that four days later not a single perpetrator had been arrested. These are Banerjee's allegations; they have not been independently verified.

Source: ANI via DevDiscourse

On November 7, clashes broke out between BJP and TMC workers outside the residence during celebrations of Banerjee's 39th birthday, escalating from an altercation into scuffles and stone-pelting. Banerjee alleged that there was an attempt on his life and accused BJP supporters of ransacking a nearby TMC office.

Source: ANI via DevDiscourse

TMC chief Mamata Banerjee reached the Kalighat residence later in the morning and staged a protest with her nephew, ANI reported. West Bengal minister Dilip Ghosh dismissed Abhishek Banerjee's claims as an attempt to mislead people, while Union minister Sukanta Majumdar blamed the decision to hold birthday celebrations on a public road. A TMC spokesperson, Arka Nag, said the shed had been built by the police and, with the withdrawal of the additional security cover, was no longer required, so arrangements were being made on Banerjee's behalf to remove it.

Source: The Indian Witness

In July, an anti-encroachment drive was carried out amid security arrangements at Banerjee's closed office in Amtala, South 24 Parganas; the Calcutta High Court later directed that all demolition work at the Amtala office be stopped until further orders, ANI reported.

Source: ANI via DevDiscourse