Trinamool worker tortured in custody over signboard dispute, says Abhishek Banerjee

Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday (September 1, 2026) alleged that a party worker, arrested in connection with a dispute over a signboard, was allegedly tortured in police custody, leaving him with a serious head injury.

“They (BJP government) believe that threats and intimidation can decide the future of democracy. I want to remind them that in a democracy, a ruler never speaks the final word. The people speak,” he said. “If they think they can silence us through false cases and arrests, they are mistaken,” he added.

Mr. Banerjee said the party worker, Tarik, was arrested and “subjected to custodial torture”. “Another 12 or 13 others remain in judicial custody. Many were arrested without prior notice, and there were multiple procedural errors,” he said.

The Trinamool leader, who appeared before the police on Tuesday in connection with a scuffle over the signboard, was interrogated for nearly six hours.

The Kolkata Police registered FIRs against Mr. Banerjee and Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien on Friday (August 28) for allegedly assaulting police and obstructing them from discharging their duty when they went to remove the signboard.

In a standoff lasting almost 90 minutes, Trinamool workers engaged in a heated exchange with police officers and civic body officials. Mr. O’ Brien fell on the stairs as police pushed aside party workers to reach the roof of a building on Kolkata’s Camac Street and remove the signboard.

Saying that the government was living in a “pool’s paradise” by attempting to “crush” the Trinamool, Mr. Banerjee asked, “If the people have truly elected someone, why is there so much fear? Why the rush to target Trinamool leaders, MPs, municipalities, gram sabhas, party offices, and bank accounts?”