Main Gate Height Doubled at Mamata Banerjee's Residence Amid Political Sparring

Amid escalating security reviews and heightened political activities in West Bengal, the primary entry gate at former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Harish Chatterjee Street residence in South Kolkata's Kalighat has been dramatically elevated, now standing nearly twice its previous height. The physical fortification of the entrance has been executed directly under security and surveillance considerations following repeated perimeter vulnerabilities. The sudden infrastructural upgrade has triggered sharp political reactions across party lines, highlighting ongoing frictions regarding the level of VIP protection accorded to the veteran Trinamool Congress supremo.Harish Chatterjee Street Vulnerabilities: TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh Flags Security Downgrade and HarassmentWeighing in on the gate modification, Trinamool Congress MLA from Beleghata Kunal Ghosh voiced deep apprehension over what he described as an abrupt and unfortunate withdrawal of standard administrative security rings around the former Chief Minister by the governing administration. Ghosh underscored that Banerjee’s residence sits directly abutting a narrow, high-density residential thoroughfare, leaving the premises exposed to open street movement where unidentified individuals frequently shout provocative slogans and direct objectionable remarks while passing by. Arguing that a public figure of her stature deserves comprehensive, multi-layered state security cover rather than minimal arrangements, Ghosh remarked that any physical barricading steps implemented by law enforcement represent a delayed necessity, urging police authorities to immediately identify, intercept, and arrest hostile elements creating disturbances along the neighborhood street.BJP MP Sukanta Majumdar Reacts as Mamata Banerjee Vows Resolute Battle from DelhiResponding to queries regarding the gate's height elevation, senior Bharatiya Janata Party MP Sukanta Majumdar took a dismissive view of the controversy, characterizing the perimeter reconstruction as an entirely private domestic matter. Majumdar stated that as long as municipal construction regulations and permissions are respected, the homeowner holds absolute liberty to raise railings, enhance structural privacy, or alter sunlight exposure without state interference. The residential security debate unfolded just hours after Banerjee delivered a fiery speech at the opposition alliance rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan, where she forcefully targeted the Special Summary Revision (SIR) roll procedures, alleging systemic victimisation of West Bengal and declaring an unrelenting national struggle from New Delhi to safeguard democratic institutions.