CID enters Mamata’s residence in MLA signature investigation

A CID entered the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee’s home and party office at 30B Harish Chatterjee Street in Kalighat on Tuesday afternoon with a search warrant after a brief standoff with security personnel and a party leader, as a part of its probe into the controversy surrounding alleged forged signatures of TMC MLAs, which has triggered a split in the party.

Around noon, three CID teams were sent out. One team went to the Kalighat location. The other teams visited the home and office of TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, Mamata Banerjee’s nephew. Neither was present, as they were both in Delhi for an INDIA bloc meeting.

At the Kalighat address, staff initially did not let the CID team in, leading to a brief standoff at the gates. CID officials warned that blocking their entry could have legal consequences and started recording video of the premises. They were mainly looking for the original “Meeting Resolution Book” dated May 6, which is central to the forgery claims. Investigators said that statements from Abhishek Banerjee during the probe led them to the locations.

The investigation shows that on May 9, Abhishek Banerjee wrote to the Speaker, recommending senior leader Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of the Opposition.

A purported resolution dated May 6, bearing signatures of about 70 TMC MLAs, was submitted to the Assembly Secretariat around May 20.

On May 27, two TMC MLAs, Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha, told Speaker Rathindra Bose that there was no meeting or resolution on May 6. They said they were only asked to sign a book on May 19. They also pointed out that at least 14 signatures were written in block letters rather than real cursive handwriting, calling the document “manufactured and fabricated.”

The Assembly Secretariat filed an FIR at the Hare Street police station for forgery, cheating, and criminal conspiracy. The case was handed over to the CID, which set up a special investigation team. Officials have taken statements from 13 TMC MLAs, and at least three lawmakers have said the signatures linked to them are not real. Handwriting experts are involved, and the court has allowed more signature samples to be collected.

The CID has called Abhishek Banerjee to appear three times, but he has not appeared, citing health problems from an earlier incident and seeking protection from coercive action from the Calcutta High Court. The TMC has expelled the two whistle-blower MLAs for “anti-party activities”. Party leaders have called the probe a “political vendetta” by the BJP-led Government.

Senior TMC leaders, including Leader of the Opposition Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, have been questioned. The party says the resolution showed a united decision by its lawmakers. Some members who disagree say many MLAs initially supported a different candidate for the LoP post, citing disagreements following the party’s worst election results in over ten years.

The CID’s visit to Mamata Banerjee’s home is a major step in the investigation. Officials are expected to keep checking documents and taking statements in the coming days. The results could have a significant impact on the TMC’s already-tense internal unity as it adjusts to opposition. Both the BJP and the TMC have accused each other, with the BJP saying the probe protects legislative integrity and the TMC calling it harassment of the opposition. The Calcutta High Court will hear Abhishek Banerjee’s petition on Thursday.