Kolkata, June 13 (IANS) Trinamool Rajya Sabha member Sagarika Ghose expressed scathing criticism of the early morning police raid at the residence of party General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee to track his absconding aide.

In a social media statement, shared by the Trinamool Congress on its social media handle, Ghose described the arrival of the police and central paramilitary forces personnel at Abhishek Banerjee’s residence at 3 a.m. as a reflection of the “political vendetta, intimidation and mental torture”.

She had also claimed that this action was prompted by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s intention to deliberately target those opposition leaders who have refused to succumb to its pressure tactics.

“3 AM Saturday June 13. Police arrive at Abhishek Banerjee’s @abhishekaitc’s Kalighat residence in Kolkata. 5 AM: Disaster Management team called in to break open locks. 6.30 AM: Search begins, from second floor to terrace, lasting 90 minutes. Outcome? Seizure report says: NIL. No evidence. No wrongdoing. NOTHING. Just political vendetta, intimidation and mental torture. Operation Lotus is targeting every leader who refuses to surrender to the BJP’s diktat. Disgraceful attack on an opposition leader. VINDICTIVE, CONNIVING, scumbag LOW LIFE tactics. SHAME,” Ghose’s social media post said, also attaching a copy of the search report of the police.

The raid and search operations at Abhishek Banerjee’s residence were conducted by a joint team of West Midnapore district police, Kolkata Police and central armed police forces (CAPF) personnel to trace his executive assistant Sumit Roy, in a case registered against him at Salboni Police Station in West Midnapore.

On Sunday, Abhishek Banerjee is supposed to appear at the headquarters of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for interrogation in its ongoing probe in the case of mismatches in the signatures of some Trinamool legislators on a crucial resolution on appointments for key Opposition posts in the Assembly.

The CID had also summoned Trinamool legislator Kunal Ghosh in the same case at its headquarters on Sunday, and sources said that the investigating officers are likely to interrogate Banerjee and Ghosh together.

–IANS

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