Abhishek Banerjee's birthday brawl: 2 arrested, 4 FIRs filed
What's the story
Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee's birthday celebrations in Kolkata turned chaotic, leading to multiple police complaints and arrests. The incident took place in Kalighat, where two men were arrested for allegedly slapping a police officer on duty. Four first information reports (FIRs) have been filed at the Kalighat police station, including two by the police and one naming Banerjee explicitly.
Legal proceedings
Political complaints filed
The remaining two FIRs are political complaints. One was filed against unidentified Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers on Banerjee's complaint, and another counter-FIR naming him and others was filed by BJP workers.
The clashes broke out between Trinamool Congress workers celebrating Banerjee's 39th birthday and BJP supporters between 2am and 3:30am.
Separate complaint
Complaint against Banerjee for dangerous driving
Separately, a Baguiati resident, Rajiv Sarkar, has filed a complaint against Banerjee under the BNS and Motor Vehicles Act.
Sarkar alleged that Banerjee's convoy violated road safety norms, with security personnel driving dangerously and guards hanging from the vehicle.
He cited Section 123 of the Motor Vehicles Act against traveling while hanging onto a moving vehicle and Section 184 for dangerous driving.
Ongoing investigations
Legal troubles for Banerjee continue to mount
These new complaints add to the legal troubles of Banerjee, who is under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in corruption cases.
His legal issues have been compounded by an ongoing signature mismatch probe.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court recently withdrew interim protection given to him in a defamation case filed by Akash Vijayvargiya, son of BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya.