Signature forgery probe: First TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee then Kunal Ghosh appear before CID again

Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday appeared before the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Kolkata for a second round of questioning in connection with the alleged forgery of MLAs' signatures linked to the appointment of the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly.Later in the day, TMC MLA and spokesperson Kunal Ghosh also reached the state police headquarters at Bhavani Bhawan after being summoned by investigators in the same case.CID seeks further clarificationAccording to officials, investigators were not fully satisfied with the responses provided by the Diamond Harbour MP during his earlier questioning.Sources said Banerjee was repeatedly questioned about the circumstances surrounding the meeting where the resolution supporting the opposition leader was allegedly signed.Officials indicated that statements made by Banerjee and Ghosh would be cross-verified as part of the ongoing probe.A CID officer said there is a possibility that Banerjee and Ghosh could be questioned together to clarify discrepancies and compare their accounts regarding the preparation and submission of the resolution.How the controversy beganThe issue traces back to May 6, when TMC legislators met at Mamata Banerjee's residence in Kalighat and proposed the name of Sovandeb Chattopadhyay for the post of Leader of the Opposition.

Legislators present at the meeting reportedly expressed support through a show of hands.However, the proposal was not immediately forwarded to the Assembly Secretariat. After newly elected TMC MLAs took oath on May 13 and 14, the Secretariat requested a formal resolution from the party naming its candidate.A subsequent meeting was held on May 19, following which a document carrying the signatures of 70 legislators backing Chattopadhyay was submitted to the Assembly.The controversy surfaced after alleged discrepancies were noticed in signatures appearing on various documents. Questions over the authenticity of some signatures eventually led to the registration of an FIR and the launch of a CID investigation.(With PTI inputs)