Kolkata (Gurpreet Singh): The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Tuesday entered the Trinamool Congress (TMC) headquarters-cum-residence of party supremo Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata’s Kalighat area as part of its investigation into the alleged forging of signatures of party MLAs, a controversy that has plunged the ruling party into its most serious internal crisis since its formation.
The CID team, accompanied by personnel from Kalighat Police Station and a large contingent of women police officers, arrived at the party’s central office at 30B Harish Chatterjee Street during the afternoon. Their arrival initially led to a brief standoff with security personnel and party representatives, who objected to the search in the absence of TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
Former MP and TMC leader Subhasish Chakraborty told reporters that the party did not want the agency to conduct a search without Abhishek Banerjee being present. However, after additional police personnel were deployed, CID officials entered the premises and began search and verification operations.
According to investigators, the search was linked to information provided by Abhishek Banerjee in response to an earlier CID notice. Officials said Banerjee informed the agency that signatures of legislators had been collected at the party’s central office, prompting investigators to examine the premises as part of the ongoing probe.
Abhishek Banerjee, who is currently in New Delhi along with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, was also summoned by the CID to appear before investigators by Tuesday evening.
Senior officers from Kalighat Police Station were seen interacting with security personnel attached to Kolkata Police, reportedly instructing them not to obstruct the investigation.
In a parallel development, another CID team visited Abhishek Banerjee’s office on Camac Street, extending the scope of the investigation.
The controversy centres on a proposal submitted to the West Bengal Assembly Speaker seeking recognition of senior TMC leader Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of Opposition. Several legislators later alleged that their signatures on the document had been forged, leading to the filing of an FIR and the launch of a CID investigation.
What began as a dispute over the selection of the Leader of Opposition has since evolved into a full-blown political crisis within the TMC. The conflict intensified when 58 of the party’s 80 MLAs reportedly defied the official leadership and supported expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee for the position instead of the party-backed candidate, Sovandeb Chattopadhyay.
In a dramatic development last week, the rebel faction claimed control of the legislature party, elected Ritabrata Banerjee as Leader of Opposition and secured recognition from the Assembly Speaker. The move effectively triggered the first major split in the Trinamool Congress since the party was founded in 1998.
The CID’s searches at both the Kalighat headquarters and Abhishek Banerjee’s office are being viewed as a significant escalation in the investigation into the alleged forgery case, which now lies at the centre of an unprecedented political battle within West Bengal’s ruling party.
