Trinamool Congress's All India General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee has been summoned again by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the West Bengal Police for further questioning in a case involving alleged forgery of party MLAs' signatures. After a five-hour interrogation on Thursday at the CID headquarters in Kolkata's Bhavani Bhawan, Banerjee was asked to appear again on Sunday as the investigating officers were not satisfied with his answers.
Banerjee, who is the nephew of West Bengal's former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, returned to Kolkata from New Delhi on Thursday afternoon and appeared at the CID office. He did not comment on the allegations or the CID summons when questioned by journalists at the airport. He went straight to his residence and then proceeded to Bhavani Bhawan.
The CID began investigating the case after allegations surfaced that the signatures of 70 MLAs on a list submitted by Banerjee to the Speaker for the election of the parliamentary party leader were forged. Trinamool MLAs Ritobrata Banerjee and Sandip Saha claimed their signatures were forged, and several other MLAs stated they were not present on the date mentioned in the resolution.
Previously, Banerjee had avoided appearing for questioning by the CID, seeking refuge in the Kolkata High Court to avoid arrest. Justice Kaushik Chand granted him temporary legal protection for three weeks if he appeared before the CID by 6 PM on Thursday. Banerjee complied with the court's order and arrived at Bhavani Bhawan before the stipulated time. A special CID team of 10-12 officers questioned him until 11:30 PM.
The court instructed that no stringent legal action could be taken against Banerjee for the next three weeks, but the investigating agency could seize necessary documents and continue questioning him. The CID stated that Banerjee evaded many crucial questions during the first day of interrogation, necessitating his recall for further questioning on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the incident has sparked significant unrest within the Trinamool Congress. Fifty-eight party MLAs have rebelled against Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee's decision, holding a separate meeting and demanding that Ritobrata Banerjee be appointed as the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly. Political analysts fear that the signature forgery case could lead to a major rift within the party.
