{
  "id": 4906696,
  "title": "Trinamool worker tortured in custody over signboard dispute, says Abhishek Banerjee",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/trinamool-worker-tortured-in-custody-over-signboard-dispute-says",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-01T17:41:54.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/west-bengal/trinamool-worker-tortured-in-custody-over-signboard-dispute-says-abhishek-banerjee/article71416096.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee accused the BJP government of using threats and intimidation to control democracy. He alleged that a party worker, Tarik, arrested in connection with a signboard dispute, was tortured in police custody, causing a serious head injury. Banerjee emphasized that in a democracy, the people speak, not the rulers. He stated that 12 to 13 others remain in judicial custody, with many arrested without prior notice and procedural errors occurring. Banerjee appeared before the police on Tuesday for a scuffle over the signboard and was interrogated for six hours. The Kolkata Police registered false imprisonment charges against Banerjee and Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien for allegedly assaulting police and obstructing them on August 28. The intense standoff lasted nearly 90 minutes, with Trinamool workers clashing with police and civic officials. O'Brien fell down the stairs after police pushed aside party workers to remove the signboard from Camac Street in Kolkata. Banerjee accused the government of attempting to \"crush\" the Trinamool by silencing its leaders, MPs, municipal officials, gram sabhas, party offices, and bank accounts.",
  "summary": "Abhishek Banerjee said the BJP government in West Bengal was living in a “pool’s paradise” by attempting to “crush” the Trinamool; he said that people have the final say in a democracy",
  "key_points": [
    "Trinamool worker Tarik tortured in police custody after signboard dispute",
    "Abhishek Banerjee accuses BJP government of using threats and intimidation",
    "12 to 13 others remain in judicial custody over signboard dispute"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}