CID investigates Trinamool MLAs' signatures over appointment of LoP

The West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has launched a high-profile investigation into allegations of forged signatures involving several Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLAs. Accompanied by handwriting experts, CID teams conducted multiple visits on Thursday and Friday to the residences of prominent legislators, including Nayna Banerjee (Chowringhee), Kunal Ghosh (Beleghata), Bahrul Islam (Canning East), and former minister Chandranath Sinha (Bolpur).

These visits were aimed at verifying the authenticity of signatures on a formal proposal to appoint veteran leader Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) following the 2026 Assembly Elections. The controversy centers on an FIR lodged by the Bengal Assembly Secretary, which alleges that the signatures of certain MLAs proposing Chattopadhyay were forged.

During their visit to Nayna Banerjee’s residence, officers reportedly collected specimen signatures and copies of identification documents like PAN cards for forensic analysis. Banerjee has dismissed the allegations as "harassment," explaining that she had written her name in block letters due to a lack of space on the form, which may have been misinterpreted as a discrepancy.