For now, all of West Bengal's political conversation seems to circle around a single name — Abhishek Banerjee. The investigative machinery moving against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew has suddenly shifted into high gear. On one side, Bengal Police turned up at his doorstep chasing his closest aide; on the other, the CID is dispatching notice after notice to him. The situation has grown tense enough that one question is now being asked openly: is the arrest of "Bhaipo" merely a matter of time?
A 4 AM Raid and a Broken Lock
The whole episode traces back to a single mobile location picked up the previous night. According to sources, the tower location of Sumit Roy's phone was traced to the vicinity of Abhishek Banerjee's house in Kalighat. Acting on that lead, a team of Shalbani Police and Kolkata Police reached Abhishek's Kalighat residence at around 4 AM. After repeated knocking and calling out brought no response from inside, the police broke the lock on the main gate and stepped in.
What followed was a search of Abhishek Banerjee's entire house that lasted close to five hours. The objective was singular — to catch his personal assistant, Sumit Roy. But Roy was not there, and the police eventually had to leave empty-handed. It is reported that after this raid, Mamata Banerjee herself arrived at Abhishek's home and spoke with him at length.
Why Has Sumit Roy Been Hunted for Three Days?
Sumit Roy is no minor figure. He is regarded as Abhishek Banerjee's right-hand man. It is said that the path to meeting Abhishek ran through Sumit Roy first — without his nod, no one could reach Abhishek. That equation, however, has now flipped. For the past three to four days, the police have been relentlessly searching for Roy.
The roots of this manhunt lie in a separate case. Recently, the Shalbani Police of West Medinipur arrested former TMC MLA Sujoy Hazra in a land-related corruption case. During questioning and investigation, the police discovered that Hazra had transferred a large sum of money to Abhishek's PA, Sumit Roy. That is how Roy came under the scanner. There is also an allegation that Sumit Roy collected money during the election on the pretext of arranging tickets. It is believed that Roy is sitting on several secrets that, if they surface, could multiply Abhishek's troubles — and that, reportedly, is precisely why Abhishek is said to be under enormous strain.
Two Cases, Two Dates — The CID's Calls
The CID is closing in on Abhishek Banerjee not on one front, but on two. The first is the forged-signature case, in which he is to be questioned on 14 June. The second concerns an inflammatory remark made during the election. The CID has served Abhishek a notice over the alleged hate speech and summoned him to Bhawani Bhawan on 16 June to explain his so-called "DJ statement." This notice was delivered to his Kalighat home on Thursday evening.
The hate-speech matter for which the fresh summons has come is linked to a statement Abhishek made during his election campaign. An FIR in the case was registered on the orders of the Election Commission itself. Receiving these back-to-back notices has clearly set off Abhishek Banerjee's temper.
Abhishek Hits Back: 'Why No Action Against Amit Shah?'
Abhishek is openly questioning the CID's action. His argument is that if his DJ remark counts as inflammatory, then why were no FIRs filed over the statements of BJP leaders. Defending himself, he said:
"The matter in which they have come to serve me a notice — I had said that the DJ would play after the 4th. I ask: if I had really said something wrong, when did I make this statement? During the election. When the election was underway, in whose hands was law and order? In the hands of the Election Commission. Law and order was not in Mamata Banerjee's hands then. So why was no FIR filed against me at that time? When a complaint was made to the Election Commission, why did the Commission take no action against me? The reason is — if I spoke about playing a DJ, then the country's Home Minister too had said that Trinamool's people would be hung upside down and straightened out. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. You tell me, if Gyanesh Kumar had to take action against me, he would have had to act against Amit Shah as well."
'No One Can Save Him Now' — An Attack From Within
The pressure is not coming from outside alone; it is rising from within his own camp too. Riju Dutta, a leader suspended from the TMC, has launched a sharp attack on Abhishek. He claims that no one can now stop Abhishek from going to jail and that no escape route is left for him. Dutta went so far as to say that Abhishek's name is tied to everything from cattle smuggling to coal smuggling, and so his imprisonment is a certainty.
