Abhishek Banerjee faces court-ordered probe over illegal soil excavation

A court in Krishnanagar has ordered a police investigation into allegations that Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee and 29 others were involved in the illegal excavation and sale of soil from government and vested lands.

The complainant, Bapan Ghosh, alleges that this illegal activity has occurred since 2016 across extensive areas in the Kaliganj block of Nadia and the Shaktipur area of Murshidabad. The lawsuit claims that approximately 33,000 bighas of land have been affected, resulting in the loss of valuable soil and the cutting down of numerous trees, causing significant environmental damage and generating massive illicit revenue.

In addition to Banerjee, the list of accused includes several local Trinamool leaders and public representatives, such as former MLA Hasanuzzaman Sheikh and Kaliganj MLA Alifa Ahmed. Judge Tarun Kumar Mondal issued the directive for a full police investigation after reviewing the details of the case presented in court.