CID searched TMC offices in Kolkata, but took away nothing, claims party

The West Bengal CID on Tuesday conducted searches at the Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) central party office in Kolkata’s Kalighat and at the office of TMC national general-secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Camac Street as part of its investigation into the alleged forgery of signatures of multiple rebel MLAs in a letter submitted to the Assembly speaker by Abhishek Banerjee.

The searches came on a day when Abhishek Banerjee skipped a third summons issued by the Crime Investigation Department, citing his appeal to the Calcutta High Court, where a hearing is expected on Wednesday, 10 June. 

Both Mamata and Abhishek Banerjee were in New Delhi. A large CID team reached the TMC's central office at 30B Harish Chatterjee Street in Kalighat shortly after 3.00 pm. The office serves as the party headquarters and is located next to Mamata Banerjee's residence. Police personnel, Central forces and female officers accompanied the CID team, while the entire area was placed under tight security. Bus loads of CRPF jawans also accompanied the team.

The CID has so far recorded statements from 13 TMC MLAs. Three of them — Baharul Islam, Arup Roy, and Subhasis Das — reportedly disowned the signatures attributed to them on the document. The TMC officially claimed the CID team left without confiscating anything after the hour-and-a-half's search. The seizure list also indicated there was no seizure.

The team, however, was insistent that it needed to collect CCTV footage and registers kept in the office. The party also claimed that the CID team did not produce any search warrant from a court but claimed they were authorised to search the office and forced their way through. 

Former Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP and party treasurer Subhashis Chakraborty, who was overseeing the office in the absence of Mamata and Abhishek Banerjee, objected to the search and insisted that he could not allow it in the absence of the party leadership. "I cannot allow entry in Abhishek Banerjee's absence. How can I grant entry in the absence of the person who issued the letter? I have been practising as a lawyer for 40 years," he told the CID officers. The CID officers responded by saying, "We are not seeking your permission."

Once inside, CID officers conducted a search of the party office. The entire operation was video recorded. According to sources familiar with the investigation, the CID was looking for documents connected to the controversial resolution that proposed the selection of Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as leader of opposition in the Assembly.

The controversy centres on a proposal letter submitted to Assembly speaker Rathindra Basu following a meeting of TMC legislators convened to finalise appointments in the Assembly. The letter proposed Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as LoP, Nayana Bandyopadhyay and Asima Patra as deputy leaders and Firhad Hakim as chief whip.

Some TMC MLAs alleged that signatures attributed to them on the proposal were forged. Ritabrata Bandyopadhyay, the MLA from Uluberia East, and Sandipan Saha, the MLA from Entally, were among the first to publicly challenge the authenticity of the signatures. Both later found themselves at odds with the party and were subsequently removed from party posts.

Following complaints regarding the alleged forged signatures, Assembly authorities approached Hare Street police station. An FIR was registered and an investigation launched. The CID later joined the probe and a Special Investigation Team was formed to assist in the investigation.

Abhishek Banerjee, the CID holds, has been evading summons to appear for interrogation. Investigators visited his Kalighat residence on 30 May and directed him to appear on 1 June. Instead of doing so, Abhishek sought a 14-day extension. The CID did not grant the request but visited his residence on 1 June and again on 8 June to serve additional summons. He was eventually directed to appear before investigators by 5.00 pm on Tuesday, 9 June.

At around the same time that the search was taking place in Kalighat, another CID team arrived at Abhishek Banerjee's office on Camac Street and carried out a separate search there.

The CID's actions sparked strong reactions from TMC leaders. Party MLA and spokesperson Kunal Ghosh arrived at the Kalighat office during the search and said, "I came to the office for party work. On arriving, I learned that a CID team had come for investigation. We extended full cooperation when the CID approached us." It was an attempt to damage Mamata Banerjee's reputation, he said, and warned that the people of West Bengal would respond politically.

Senior TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee also arrived at the scene and accused investigators of acting with ulterior motives. "There is no rule stating that a copy of the resolution must be kept at the venue where a meeting took place. This is merely harassment in the guise of a search," he said.

Veteran party leader Madan Mitra also rushed to Kalighat on learning of the search operation. The BJP, meanwhile, accused Abhishek Banerjee of deliberately avoiding investigators. BJP leader Debjit Sarkar said repeated non-appearance before the CID raised serious questions and argued that legal processes should be respected.