The investigation into the alleged forgery of signatures in the Legislative Assembly intensified on Saturday as a team of the CID visited the residence of senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Sovandeb Chattopadhyay in Bhavanipur.
According to sources, the CID team reached his residence in the morning and questioned him for nearly half an hour. Chattopadhyay, who had been projected as a potential Leader of the Opposition from the TMC in the Assembly, is said to have fully cooperated with investigators. He reportedly assured officials of his willingness to extend all possible assistance in the probe.
The case originates from allegations made by rebel Trinamool MLAs, who claimed that their signatures had been forged in Assembly-related documents. On Saturday, investigators are understood to have questioned Chattopadhyay in detail regarding a party meeting linked to the controversy.
Over the past weeks, the CID has questioned several TMC leaders, including the party’s General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee. He had been summoned multiple times to the investigating agency’s Bhavani Bhavan hedquarters in connection with the case. At one point, investigators also conducted a face-to-face interrogation of Abhishek Banerjee and party spokesperson and MLA Kunal Ghosh.
As part of the ongoing investigation, a five-member CID team had earlier visited Abhishek’s residence at 188A on Harish Mukherjee Road to serve an official notice. However, officials were informed that he was not present at the time. The team later proceeded to his Kalighat residence, where the notice was handed over to him personally. Subsequently, he appeared before investigators at Bhavani Bhavan.
The CID has also carried out searches at multiple locations linked to the case. Earlier, officials conducted a search operation at a party office near the Kalighat residence of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, though nothing incriminating was reportedly found.
Investigators have also visited premises at 29D, Harish Chatterjee Street, where relatives of the Chief Minister are believed to reside, as part of efforts to gather further information.
Police sources indicate that the investigation is focused on identifying how the alleged forgery was carried out and who may have been involved. With multiple leaders already questioned and more likely to be summoned, the probe is expected to intensify in the coming days.
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