Kolkata, 01 June (H.S.): The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has intensified its probe into the alleged forgery of signatures of Trinamool Congress legislators in the West Bengal Assembly by constituting a five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT). As part of the investigation, Trinamool Congress National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee has been summoned for questioning.

According to sources, the SIT is headed by an officer of the rank of Deputy Inspector General (DIG) and comprises five senior officials, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and two inspectors. Banerjee has been asked to appear before investigators at the CID headquarters in Bhawani Bhavan on Monday afternoon. However, his appearance remains uncertain due to health-related reasons, sources said.

The controversy is linked to the process of selecting the leader of the party in the Assembly following the formation of the new state government. During a meeting of Trinamool Congress legislators held at Kalighat on May 6, the name of Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay was proposed for a key legislative position. Subsequently, a letter of support was submitted to the Assembly Secretariat, claiming to bear the signatures of 70 party legislators.

The matter took a serious turn after discrepancies were allegedly detected in several signatures. The Assembly Secretariat reportedly suspected that some of the signatures may have been forged, prompting the Assembly Secretary to lodge a formal First Information Report (FIR) and refer the matter to the CID for a detailed investigation.

As part of the politically sensitive probe, the CID has already issued notices to legislator Nayana Banerjee, Baharul Islam and Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh. Investigators are examining the circumstances under which the disputed signatures were collected and submitted to the Assembly Secretariat.

The formation of the SIT is being viewed as a significant step in the investigation, with officials expected to question several political leaders and legislators in the coming days as they seek to establish responsibility in the alleged forgery case.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh