3 min readKolkataMar 10, 2026 12:33 PM IST
A Calcutta High Court advocate Monday filed a police complaint against Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP and senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee for allegedly issuing a public threat against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
The complaint by advocate Manabendranath Bandhopadhay followed Banerjee’s remarks last week during a protest at Dharmatala, where he opposed deletions from the electoral rolls following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
Referring to an earlier meeting between the ECI and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the TMC MP said the CEC had behaved “very badly” towards the CM and claimed, “He dared to raise his finger at the CM. If he had not been the CEC, I would have cut his finger that day.”
The complaint at the Hare Street police station said, “Such a statement is extremely serious and deeply disturbing. By making the above statement, Sri Kalyan Banerjee has not merely issued a threat against an individual public servant but has effectively threatened a constitutional authority and attempted to intimidate the institution of the Election Commission of India itself.”
He further stated that the statement clearly constitutes criminal intimidation and a threat of injury to a public servant in connection with the discharge of his official duties, which may cause fear, obstruction, and delay in the performance of public functions.
“More importantly, the said statement appears to have been made deliberately to create a fear psychosis among officers and officials engaged in the SIR process in West Bengal, thereby influencing or hampering the discharge of their lawful duties. Such conduct strikes at the very foundation of free and fair elections, which is an essential feature of our democratic system.”
“The threat, therefore, cannot be treated as a mere personal remark against a public servant. Rather, it amounts to a direct attempt to intimidate a constitutional authority and undermine the democratic electoral process,” the complaint added.
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The complainant requested that the police take appropriate legal action against Kalyan Banerjee for criminal intimidation and obstruction of public servants. A senior police officer said the matter is under investigation, but no official statement has been issued yet.
Protests during CEC visit
The controversy unfolds amid the ongoing tension between the ruling TMC and the ECI regarding the SIR. CM Banerjee has been staging a sit-in demonstration since March 6, alleging that the SIR process, which resulted in the deletion of over 5.4 lakh names, is arbitrary and politically motivated.
Meanwhile, the full bench of the ECI is currently on a visit to Kolkata to review election preparedness. The CEC’s visit has been marked by protests, with demonstrators waving black flags and shouting “go back” slogans as he travelled to various engagements, including a visit to Belur Math.
Speaking to the media, CEC Gyanesh Kumar said, “The Election Commission of India would like to say to all the voters of West Bengal that we are committed to conduct a violence-free and intimidation-free election in West Bengal.”
