Kolkata: Kolkata Police on Saturday morning issued a prohibitory order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, barring public assembly in the area around the Kalighat residence of Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee for a period of two months, a city police official confirmed.

Source: IANS via HiIndia

The order follows the development reported earlier on Saturday, when Banerjee alleged that BJP workers attacked his house at around 2 am and clashes broke out between BJP and TMC supporters outside the residence. The prohibitory order is the police's first formal restrictive step since that overnight clash.

Source: Nation Press

According to the police, the restricted zone runs from Kalighat Bridge to Balaram Bose Ghat Road, Harish Mukherjee Road and Hazra Road, all arterial roads in the vicinity of the Diamond Harbour MP's residence in south Kolkata. Police have also intensified surveillance to ensure no gathering takes place in front of the house.

Police sources said BJP workers arrived at the spot at around 2.30 am, while TMC supporters were gathered for Banerjee's 39th birthday, and began raising slogans. Clashes continued in phases until about 3.30 am, according to police sources. Local media reports put the number of injured at seven to eight, though an official confirmation of the injury count was not immediately available.

Banerjee, who staged a brief sit-in protest outside his residence, alleged on X that the incident was the seventh attempt on his life in the last six months and questioned the police response. The allegation is his claim and has not been independently established. The BJP rejected the allegation, with state leader Dilip Ghosh describing it as political drama and questioning whether any attempt on the MP's life had taken place.

Banerjee is the nephew of former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and the TMC's national general secretary. As of Saturday morning, Mamata Banerjee had not issued a public statement on the clashes, according to reports.