CID Questions Abhishek Banerjee for Nearly Six Hours in Bengal Signature Forgery Case

The political heat in West Bengal intensified on Thursday as Trinamool Congress (TMC) National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee appeared before the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and was questioned for nearly six hours in connection with the alleged signature forgery case surrounding the selection of the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the state assembly.

The case stems from alleged irregularities in a TMC Legislature Party resolution used to appoint the LoP and other Assembly office bearers. Two expelled TMC MLAs have alleged that the resolution was fabricated and that some signatures on the document were obtained later, leading to a CID investigation into suspected forgery and conspiracy.

Banerjee arrived at the CID headquarters, Bhabani Bhaban , at around 5.50 pm after securing interim protection from coercive action from the Calcutta High Court . He remained inside the agency's office for nearly six hours and left around 11.30 pm without speaking to reporters.

The questioning marked Banerjee's first appearance before a state investigating agency since the change in Bengal's political landscape. Earlier, he had faced multiple rounds of questioning by central agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in separate cases.

Before appearing before the CID, Banerjee returned to Kolkata from New Delhi , where he had spent three days meeting leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc , including Rahul Gandhi . His arrival at the airport was marked by protests, with some people raising slogans against him.

The controversy revolves around a resolution allegedly adopted during a TMC Legislature Party meeting on May 6. According to documents submitted to the Assembly Speaker, the resolution endorsed Sobhabdeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of Opposition, Asima Patra and Nayna Bandyopadhyay as deputy LoPs, and Firhad Hakim as chief whip. However, expelled MLAs Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha claimed that no such resolution was formally adopted and questioned the authenticity of several signatures.

The CID recently searched TMC offices and premises linked to Banerjee to recover the original resolution book and attendance records but reportedly failed to locate them. Investigators are seeking the documents for forensic examination.

With allegations of cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy now under investigation, the case has emerged as one of the most closely watched political controversies in West Bengal, with its outcome likely to have significant political ramifications.