4 min readKolkataJun 14, 2026 04:12 PM IST
Trinamool Congress (TMC) General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee appeared before the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Sunday morning at Bhabani Bhawan. This is his second round of questioning in connection with the Assembly signature forgery case, following a grueling five-and-a-half-hour interrogation on Thursday night.
In compliance with a Calcutta High Court directive ordering him to cooperate with the investigation, Banerjee arrived at the CID headquarters at 11.43 am – 17 minutes ahead of his scheduled 12 pm appointment. Presenting his identity card and signing the attendance register, he proceeded inside for questioning.
The high court has granted Banerjee interim relief, directing the state agency not to take any coercive action against him in this case for the next two weeks.
Though Sunday is a weekly holiday, CID officials arrived early in the morning to prepare for the high-profile interrogation. Security was significantly tightened around the Bhabani Bhawan premises, with a heavy deployment of additional police forces, central forces, and the Rapid Action Force to prevent any untoward incidents.
The CID has also summoned Beliaghata TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh for questioning in connection with the same forgery case later on Sunday afternoon.
The forgery case revolves around an official letter sent by the Trinamool legislative party to the Assembly Speaker, designating veteran leader Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as the Leader of the Opposition.
Allegations surfaced that several signatures on the document are fraudulent. Multiple MLAs have claimed they never signed the letter, while other names were allegedly filled out in block letters. Because the letter carries Abhishek Banerjee’s signature in his capacity as the party’s general secretary, investigators are probing his level of involvement. While Abhishek Banerjee initially skipped a few summons, he joined the probe following the high court’s intervention.
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The interrogation comes on the heels of a dramatic midnight escalation. Late Saturday night, the Shalboni police raided Abhishek Banerjee’s Kalighat residence in search of his Personal Assistant Sumit Roy. Investigators allegedly traced the “tower location” of Roy’s active mobile phone directly to the property.
According to sources, the police knocked and called out for Roy from 3 am to 5 am without receiving a response. Disaster management personnel were subsequently called in to break the locks. Upon hearing news of the raid, former chief minister Mamata Banerjee rushed to the spot. The police search concluded around 8 am; however, no seizures were made, and Roy was not found on the premises.
Legal challenges
Abhishek Banerjee faces a tight grid of legal challenges over the coming days, currently lacking interim protection in two other active cases. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned him to appear before it on Monday in connection with the probe regarding the primary school teacher recruitment scam. Meanwhile, the state police served a notice at his residence on Friday regarding a separate complaint filed in Salt Lake over a public statement he made.
Additionally, a fresh criminal complaint was lodged against Abhishek Banerjee at the Siliguri Cyber Crime police station by a local trader on Friday. The complainant accused the MP of making provocative and unlawful remarks targeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah during an election rally.
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This follows a similar recent complaint filed at the same police station against former CM Mamata Banerjee by an advocate, who alleged that her public criticisms of constitutional institutions threatened national sovereignty and public order.
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