KOLKATA: The once heavily guarded Kalighat neighbourhood has begun resembling a thoroughfare and even a theatre for political violence in some pockets as authorities dismantle security paraphernalia like police kiosks from the area where outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee reside. This drawdown has been described by some residents as unsettling and by others as a relief.
On Wednesday, police began withdrawing peripheral security arrangements from key addresses linked to the Trinamool brass. Beginning around 6:30 am, barricades, police kiosks, scanner machines, and surveillance installations were dismantled across locations, including at three premises of Abhishek Banerjee at 188B, Harish Mukherjee Road; 121, Kalighat Road; and 9, Camac Street.
Security Rollback at Key Residences
At Abhishek Banerjee's Harish Mukherjee Road home, ‘Shantiniketan’, police were seen removing layers of security infrastructure that had, over the past decade, turned the premises into one of the most tightly guarded political addresses in the state. The move followed a similar rollback outside Mamata Banerjee’s residence a day earlier, shortly after the electoral outcome.
Official Clarifications and Resident Reactions
Officials said both leaders continue to enjoy Z-plus security, and that the current exercise pertains only to peripheral deployment and publicly installed infrastructure. As for the other residents of the area, some felt it was “unsettling” while others expressed relief at the dismantling of long-standing restrictions.
The changes have sparked mixed emotions among locals. Some expressed concerns about safety, while others welcomed the removal of barriers that had restricted movement and altered the character of the neighbourhood for years.
