Kolkata, 03 June (H.S.) : The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has sought handwriting samples from three Trinamool Congress legislators as part of its ongoing investigation into allegations of forged signatures on an official party document submitted to the West Bengal Assembly.

A CID team moved the Sealdah court on Tuesday seeking permission to collect handwriting samples of MLAs Baharul Islam, Subhasish Das and Arup Roy. Sources said the court has granted the agency permission to obtain the samples.

The case revolves around allegations that signatures of several Trinamool Congress MLAs were forged on a document submitted to the Assembly nominating senior party leader Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the Leader of the Opposition.

Sources said the names of the three legislators were among those allegedly written in block letters in a party resolution book that has come under scrutiny amid the forgery allegations. However, it was not immediately clear why the CID specifically sought handwriting samples from these three MLAs.

The investigation was initiated following complaints lodged at Hare Street Police Station by Trinamool MLAs Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha, who alleged that their signatures had been forged. The CID subsequently took over the probe.

As part of the investigation, CID officers have been visiting several Trinamool legislators to verify their signatures against those appearing on the disputed document. Officials said the collection of handwriting samples is aimed at assisting forensic examination and establishing the authenticity of the signatures.

The agency has also summoned Trinamool Congress MP and party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee in connection with the case. However, he has sought additional time to appear before investigators, citing health-related reasons.

Earlier, the CID examined Chowringhee MLA Nayana Bandyopadhyay and also approached Beleghata MLA Kunal Ghosh as part of the ongoing inquiry.

The investigation continues as the agency seeks to determine whether forged signatures were used in the Assembly submission and identify those responsible.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh