Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been named in an FIR registered at Kolkata’s Hare Street Police Station over alleged communal remarks made during a public address ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.
According to the complaint, Banerjee allegedly made inflammatory statements while speaking from the stage of a protest organised in Kolkata against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise before the Assembly polls. The case has been registered under Sections 196(1), 351(2), and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The protest was held near the Y-Channel bus stop at Esplanade in Dharmatala after permission for a demonstration on Rani Rashmoni Road was reportedly denied. Authorities allege that comments made during the speech had a communal nature, leading to the registration of the FIR.
The development could add to the legal challenges facing the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief. It comes at a time when her nephew is reportedly under CID investigation over allegations related to election violence and forged signatures of legislators.
This is also the second FIR lodged against Banerjee following the TMC’s defeat in the 2026 Assembly elections. Earlier in May, a separate complaint filed by advocate Rinky Chattopadhyay Singh at the Siliguri Cyber Crime Police Station accused the former chief minister of making remarks that allegedly hurt religious sentiments and targeted Sanatan Dharma.
Banerjee, who served three consecutive terms as West Bengal chief minister, lost the Bhabanipur Assembly seat in the 2026 elections and currently does not hold any constitutional office. The allegations against her remain subject to investigation.
