West Bengal authorities demolished a five-storey building connected to Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee in South 24 Parganas yesterday over violation of building regulations and encroachment near a local market. Police and central forces took over the operation in heavy security.
District officials say that the building did not have an approved construction plan which triggered the district administration to act after the owners kept failing to respond to earlier notices.
Demolition Carried Out After Hearing Was Skipped
As a result, officials said they had given notice to the owners of the property about the alleged unauthorized construction. A hearing was scheduled for July 15, but none of the listed owners, including Abhishek Banerjee’s father, appeared before the authorities.
When the property owners were absent, the district administration took enforcement action. In the operation, officials demolished parts of the building, including a ground floor shed, extensions on top of the first floor and some boundary walls that were built without approval, officials said.
Heavy Security Deployed
The demolition was carried out in close security. A large number of police personnel, backed by the Central Armed Forces, were deployed around the site to prevent any untoward incident.
Fire service personnel were also at the site as a precautionary measure during the demolition. The Block Development Officer (BDO) and Block Land and Land Reforms Officer (BLRO) supervised the operation and local officials were onsite.
The security deployment was to help the demolition to take place peacefully and without disruption.
Alleged Building Violations
According to police and administrative documents, the five-storey building did not have a sanctioned building plan as required under applicable regulations. The officials also claimed that parts of the structure encroached on land near the local market and complaints were later investigated by the district administration.
The administration maintains that the action was done in accordance with legal procedures after the issuance of notices and opportunity for the property owners to present their case.
Political Reactions
The demolition comes in an increasingly charged political environment in West Bengal after the 2026 Assembly elections, in which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power after ending the Trinamool Congress’s decade-long rule.
The latter has caused sharp political reactions on both sides. Supporters of the BJP have described the demolition as a lawful enforcement drive against unauthorized constructions, and even call it “karma” after the change in government.
On the other hand, TMC supporters and political opponents have claimed that the demolition is politically motivated and amounts to selective targeting of leaders associated with the former ruling party.
None of the state administration or the authorities involved in the demolition have publicly commented on these political allegations.
Focus on Illegal Constructions
They are also part of a broader crackdown on unauthorized structures in West Bengal that has grown very quickly since the change in government. Officials said that enforcement was being conducted against buildings that are in violation of planning norms, regardless of their owners.
The administration said all such actions are based on legal processes such as notices, hearings and inspections.
Investigation and Further Action
No other parts of the building may be demolished and legal action will follow, the authorities have not indicated. The authorities will continue to evaluate the documentation of the property (land ownership records and construction approvals) before making any further decisions on any further action.
It has again raised the stakes on illegal construction and land-use in West Bengal and has also come with a new political dimension as the state witnesses intensified confrontations between the ruling BJP and the opposition TMC.
