CID summons Abhishek Banerjee in Assembly signature forgery case, notice served at Kolkata home

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has summoned Trinamool Congress National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee in connection with the alleged signature forgery case related to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly. On Saturday, CID officials visited his residence in Kolkata and served him a notice directing him to appear before investigators at the CID headquarters in Bhawani Bhavan at 12 noon on Monday. The summons is part of an ongoing investigation into allegations concerning signatures submitted in connection with the selection of the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly.

The controversy emerged after the All India Trinamool Congress, which became the principal opposition party in the Assembly following the recent elections, selected Shovan Chatterjee as its legislative party leader. A letter submitted to the Assembly authorities reportedly carried the signatures of 70 MLAs. Subsequently, allegations surfaced that several of the signatures on the document did not match those of the legislators concerned, prompting the CID to initiate an investigation into the matter.

As part of the probe, CID officials have visited the residences of several Trinamool MLAs. On Saturday, investigators first went to Abhishek Banerjee’s family residence, "Shantiniketan," on Harish Mukherjee Road. According to information provided to the officials, neither Abhishek Banerjee nor any family members were present at the property. Another CID team then proceeded to his residence in Kalighat, where the notice was ultimately served.

Before receiving the notice, Abhishek Banerjee told reporters that he was unaware of the reason behind the CID visit and had not received any communication. Later, he came outside his residence and accepted the notice from the investigating officers. He stated that he had not yet read the document and would discuss the matter with his legal team before taking further steps regarding the summons.

Speaking to reporters after receiving the notice, Abhishek Banerjee stated that he had cooperated with investigative agencies whenever summoned in the past and had appeared before authorities on multiple occasions. He also commented on the ongoing investigation, raised concerns regarding the use of government agencies, addressed a separate notice issued by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, and referred to his visits to areas affected by post-election violence, including Beleghata and Sonarpur.