KOLKATA, June 9 — Officials from the State Criminal Investigation Department on Tuesday entered the central party office and residence of Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee in Kalighat. Accompanied by a large local and women police contingent, investigators arrived at 30B Harish Chatterjee Street in the late afternoon to advance a probe into alleged signature forgery that has triggered a major split within the political organization.
The investigative team initiated the search after resolving a brief standoff with security personnel and senior party leadership at the gates. The agency stated that the search was prompted by information gathered from a written reply submitted by TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee during earlier questioning.
The inquiry centers on a document submitted to the Assembly Speaker regarding the appointment of the Leader of the Opposition, which allegedly contained forged signatures of multiple legislators. Explaining the legal basis for entering the high-profile residence, a senior CID officer stated:
“In his response, Abhishek Banerjee stated that signatures of MLAs were collected at the party’s central office at 30B Harish Chatterjee Street. Based on that statement, we have come here as part of the investigation.”
The administrative move follows the worst internal crisis in the party’s 28-year history, emerging after 58 of the party’s 80 MLAs defied the central leadership to back Ritabrata Banerjee over the official nominee, Sovandeb Chattopadhyay. The rebel faction successfully secured recognition from the Assembly Speaker last week, effectively splitting the legislative group.
Prior to entering the property, investigators faced pushback from party representatives. Former MP Subhasish Chakraborty noted to reporters that the team should delay their search until Abhishek Banerjee returned from New Delhi, but local police officials subsequently instructed security staff not to obstruct the court-sanctioned operation.
