In a dramatic assertion of property rights following the change of ruling party in West Bengal, the owner of a house in Beleghata’s Mathpukur area used a bulldozer to demolish a structure that had been allegedly functioning as a Trinamool Congress (TMC) party office for years. The incident took place on Saturday amid growing reclamation efforts in the aftermath of the BJP’s victory in the 2026 Assembly elections.
According to the house owner, Maniklal Kundu, the portion of her property was forcibly occupied by local TMC workers in 2011 under the pretext of building a club. The two-story structure was built right in front of the house, and it was named ‘Mathpukur Byayam Samiti’ (Mathpukur Exercise Committee). But it was actually used as a party office. Apart from the front yard of the family property, the structure also encroached upon the footpath in front of the house.
TMC had built this illegal club infront of someone's residence in Beleghata, they used to do what they feel like with no fear of anyone. Now the same is being demolished. pic.twitter.com/iwNUPDaD7B
— Sudhanidhi Bandyopadhyay (@SudhanidhiB) May 23, 2026
He said that when he was building his house in 2011, the govt in the state changed, and TMC workers prevented him from building further after the first floor was built. They then proceeded to build the ‘club’ on the front yard of his house, which was required to be kept vacant as per the approved building plan. He said that he approached the police, local administration, and TMC leaders to remove the encroachment, but didn’t get any help.
His wife Jharna Kundu said, “In 2011, Trinamool came and forcibly occupied my land. They said, we will build a club. But, no club came up. It was made a party office.” She further alleged that the space was misused for activities including drinking and late-night parties with loud music, causing significant distress to her family.
Jharna Kundu added that her family of three, including her husband and daughter, was helpless in front of the TMC goons. She said that three of them were the most violent: Raju Ghosh, Mintu, and Bachchu Ganguly, alleging that they used to keep entering her house, and the family was unable to say anything.
Kundu further added that after the election results on May 4, TMC workers themselves vandalised TMC symbols, painted the structure in saffron colour, and attempted to rebrand it as a BJP office. She added that the workers removed the portraits of Mamata Banerjee, Abhishek Banerjee and other TMC leaders, and hung the portraits of Narendra Modi and Suvendu Adhikari.
Her daughter, Payel Kundu, corroborated the account, stating that the office was fully operational as a TMC base until the results, after which the occupants quickly changed its appearance to make it look like a BJP office.
After 15 years, when TMC lost power, the Kundu family finally managed to reclaim their own land. Maniklal Kundu went to the police and told them that he had decided to demolish the illegal structure. After getting the go-ahead from the police, he hired a bulldozer, and the structure was demolished on Saturday.
Police were present at the site during the demolition. No major law and order issues were reported from the location. Kundu stated he faced no opposition during the demolition.
BJP leader Archana Majumdar visited the spot along with Tangra police during the demolition of the structure. Majumdar emphasised the party’s stance against illegal occupations and stated that genuine owners would be supported in reclaiming their properties as part of a grassroots campaign against encroachment.
Growing efforts to reclaim offices encroached by TMC
This incident is part of a broader wave of reclamations across West Bengal following the power shift on May 4. Several opposition parties, including the CPI(M) and Congress, have moved to reclaim their party offices that were seized and converted by TMC workers after the Left Front’s defeat in 2011.
Videos and reports from various districts show workers from these parties removing locks, taking down TMC flags and symbols, and restoring their own party emblems in what they describe as “long overdue justice.”
BJP supporters have also been involved in reclaiming public properties, such as school buildings previously used as TMC offices. TMC leaders have alleged widespread post-poll violence and vandalism targeting their offices, but the BJP has denied such allegations.
