Kolkata court denies bail to 13 people arrested over clash at TMC office

A Kolkata court on Friday refused to grant bail to 13 individuals arrested for allegedly assaulting police and Kolkata Municipal Corporation officials during a dispute over the removal of an unauthorized billboard outside the office of Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee on Camac Street, according to lawyers present at the hearing. The Bankshall court kept all 13 arrested individuals in police custody until September 3.

Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court declined to grant relief to Banerjee, who filed a petition regarding the billboard issue, lawyers reported. Banerjee and various TMC leaders, including Rajya Sabha member Derek O’Brien and former IPS officer Humayun Kabir, obstructed the movement of police and KMC officials as they attempted to navigate through a human barricade. The incident lasted approximately an hour and was broadcast live on TMC's Facebook page.

Banerjee accused the authorities of having a flawed order for removing the billboard. Kolkata police commissioner Ajay Kumar Nand announced on Friday that additional individuals would be charged following a review of video footage from Thursday's incident. Nand stated that the billboard was deemed illegal under KMC regulations, and police officers accompanied KMC officials tasked with removing illegal billboards.

Nand emphasized that the distinction lies between a protest and physical resistance, and that action would be taken accordingly.