New Delhi: Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee appeared before the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Thursday and was questioned for nearly six hours in connection with an alleged signature forgery case related to the appointment of the Leader of Opposition in the state assembly.
Banerjee reached the CID headquarters at Bhabani Bhaban in Kolkata at around 5.50 pm, shortly after receiving interim protection from coercive action from the Calcutta High Court. He left the premises at approximately 11.30 pm without speaking to reporters.
The TMC leader had previously skipped three summons issued by the CID, citing health concerns and a petition challenging the notices before the high court. Thursday marked his first appearance before a state investigative agency since the political change in West Bengal, although he has earlier faced questioning by the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation in separate cases.
The probe centres on allegations that signatures in a resolution related to the selection of opposition leaders in the state assembly were forged. The controversy stems from a party meeting held on May 6, during which Banerjee allegedly endorsed the appointment of Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of Opposition, along with other key assembly positions.
The CID recently conducted searches at the TMC’s central office and properties linked to Banerjee in an attempt to recover the original resolution book and attendance sheet containing signatures of 70 MLAs. However, investigators reportedly failed to locate the documents.
The case originated after two expelled TMC legislators alleged that no resolution regarding the opposition leadership was passed during the meeting and claimed their signatures were obtained later. They further alleged that the resolution document was fabricated and pointed to discrepancies in several signatures.
The CID took over the investigation from Kolkata Police in May and has sought the original documents for forensic examination to determine the authenticity of the signatures in question. The investigation remains ongoing.
