West Bengal Government Withdraws ‘Z-Plus’ Security Cover of Abhishek Banerjee

Kolkata, May 2026 : The West Bengal government has decided to withdraw the ‘Z-plus’ security cover provided to Trinamool Congress General Secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee, marking a major change in the security arrangements for senior opposition leaders in the state.

According to government officials, the special security provisions that had been extended to Abhishek Banerjee for more than a decade, including additional security personnel and the pilot car facility, will now be discontinued. An administrative order regarding the decision was reportedly issued on Monday afternoon.

Officials at Nabanna said the revised arrangement means that only the standard security cover normally allotted to Members of Parliament will continue for the Trinamool Congress MP. The phased withdrawal of additional personnel and facilities is expected to begin immediately.

Abhishek Banerjee had been enjoying ‘Z-plus’ category security for several years during the tenure of the previous Trinamool Congress government. However, after the recent Assembly election results and the formation of the new government in the state, his security arrangements had already begun to be gradually scaled down.

The latest decision completely removes the enhanced state-provided security cover.

Sources in the administration said the matter was discussed during a series of meetings chaired by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at Nabanna on Monday. The Chief Minister first conducted an administrative review meeting and later held discussions with District Magistrates and senior police officers from across the state.

According to sources familiar with the discussions, issues related to the security arrangements of political leaders were reviewed in detail. The Chief Minister is said to have conveyed that additional security should be provided only where there is a genuine threat perception.

He reportedly questioned the need for spending public money on extensive security arrangements merely for prestige or political influence when no substantial threat existed.

Following the review, Abhishek Banerjee’s security category was revised, and the long-standing pilot car facility attached to his movement was also withdrawn.

For years, Abhishek Banerjee was often seen travelling with pilot escort vehicles and a large security entourage. The Camac Street area in central Kolkata, where his political office is located, had remained under heavy police deployment during the previous regime.

However, after the change in government, the police presence around his office was reduced in phases. Guards stationed outside the Camac Street office were among the first to be removed.

Subsequently, security arrangements outside his residence on Harish Mukherjee Road were also scaled down. The police security apparatus deployed at his residence, named ‘Santiniketan’, was gradually withdrawn. Security infrastructure and equipment installed there during the earlier administration were also removed.

Administrative officials stated that future security arrangements for Abhishek Banerjee would now follow the guidelines prescribed by the Union Home Ministry, with no special exemptions or additional state-sponsored facilities beyond the standard entitlement for a Member of Parliament.

Meanwhile, security measures outside the residence of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have also reportedly been reduced since the change of government.

Mamata Banerjee, who resides on Harish Chatterjee Street in Kolkata, had earlier enjoyed elaborate security arrangements around her residence. Within 24 hours of the new government assuming office, barricades installed at the entrance of the lane leading to her house were removed.

Later, the Kolkata Police also withdrew additional security personnel deployed outside her residence.

The developments are being viewed as part of the new administration’s broader effort to rationalise state security expenditure and review special facilities extended to political leaders during the previous government’s tenure.

Team Maverick