Abhishek Banerjee lands at Kolkata Airport to appear before CID

Abhishek Banerjee touched down at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata on Thursday afternoon, returning from New Delhi under heavy legal duress. His return flight landed shortly after 4:00 PM, triggering a frantic countdown for the Diamond Harbour MP. The Calcutta High Court had earlier issued a strict ultimatum giving the senior ruling-party leader a razor-thin window to travel from the airport directly to the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters at Bhavani Bhavan for an intense questioning session.

Banerjee’s sudden return to his home turf follows a period of self-imposed isolation in the national capital, where he had remained for days out of a palpable fear of immediate arrest. The senior politician had skipped three consecutive investigative summonses issued by the CID, citing official business and sudden health issues. However, after a stern courtroom dressing-down by Justice Kaushik Chanda on Thursday morning, the High Court made it clear that evasion was no longer an option, ordering him to physically present himself before investigators by 6:00 PM sharp.

Despite the strict time frame, the High Court provided a crucial shield to the embattled leader by granting him conditional protection from any coercive action or custodial arrest for the next 21 days. This legal buffer allows Banerjee to face hours of grilling tonight without the looming threat of being detained at the end of the session. The state CID, which had previously contacted Kolkata airport authorities to track his flight status and travel coordinates, had an enforcement team placed on high alert to monitor his transit from the tarmac directly to the interrogation room.