Trouble mounts for TMC: Fresh hate speech complaint against Abhishek Banerjee; CID, ED summons him in 3 cases

KOLKATA: TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee has been summoned by the CID and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in three separate cases between Sunday and Tuesday, officials said on Saturday. According to officials, Banerjee has been asked to appear before the CID on Sunday in connection with the “signature gate” case involving alleged MLA signature forgery.

Fellow MLAs Kunal Ghosh and Madan Mitra – who have shown allegiance to the Mamata Banerjee faction so far – have also been called by CID in the same case on Sunday.

On the other hand, a fresh hate speech complaint against Abhishek Banerjee has been lodged at the Siliguri Cyber Crime Police Station on Saturday in connection with a pre-poll speech he had made.Incidentally, the CID is already probing a similar complaint lodged at Baguiati Police Station earlier this month, in connection with which he has been called to Bhavani Bhavan on Tuesday.On Monday, Abhishek scheduled to appear before the ED in the West Bengal primary school recruitment irregularities case, while on Tuesday he has been summoned by CID officers at Bhavani Bhavan in connection with a pre-poll hate speech complaint.Meanwhile, a joint team of Kolkata Police and Paschim Medinipur Police, accompanied by central security forces, conducted a pre-dawn search operation at Abhishek Banerjee’s Kalighat residence on Saturday, triggering a major political controversy in West Bengal, officials said.

According to police sources, officers arrived at the Kalighat road residence around 3 am and called out to the occupants. When there was no response, the team allegedly waited for four hours before they called in disaster management group personnel. They broke open locks at 6.30 am to enter the premises and carried out a one and half hour long search that continued for several hours. Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee also rushed to the spot after learning about the operation and left the home around 8am after the cops had left. Police officials said the search was linked to a case registered at Salboni police station in Paschim Medinipur district. Investigators claimed they were looking for a close aide of Abhishek, Sumit Roy wanted in a land-scam related case. Cops said Roy’s name had cropped up while interrogating former Midnapore MLA and district president of the party, Sujoy Hazra. Sources said cops had found a money trail between Hazra and Roy and while tracing Roy’s tower location, they had found it at Abhishek Banerjee’s home. After the cops had left a visibly irritated Abhishek Banerjee came out of his home and said reporters: "They broke open the lock, entered the house and searched every room. You can ask the investigating agencies about the search, whether I have hidden anything inside?" Reacting to the raids, TMC’s Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose posted on X a copy of the seizure report that clearly said nothing was found at the home. “3am Saturday June 13. Police arrive at Abhishek Banerjee’s @abhishekaitc’s Kalighat residence in Kolkata. 5am: Disaster Management team called in to break open locks. 6:30 AM: Search begins, from second floor to terrace, lasting 90 minutes. Outcome? Seizure report says: NIL.

No evidence. No wrongdoing. NOTHING. Just political vendetta, intimidation and mental torture. Operation Lotus is targeting every leader who refuses to surrender to the BJP’s diktat. Disgraceful attack on an opposition leader...”