CID knocks Abhishek Banerjee's door in Kolkata, TMC leader not at home
The CID team later visited another property located on the adjacent Kalighat Road and handed him a notice related to the forgery of signatures of some of the newly elected Trinamool Congress MLAs.
A team of four officials from the West Bengal Central Investigation Department (CID) arrived at Santiniketan, the official residence of Trinamool Congress (TMC) National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, on Saturday afternoon, to hand him a notice, summoning the Diamond Harbour MP to its headquarters, Bhabani Bhawan, on June 1 (Monday) in a case related to the forgery of signatures of some of the newly-elected Trinamool Congress MLAs, as reported by multiple local media channels.
The incident took a dramatic turn when investigators arrived at Santiniketan only to discover that Banerjee was not on the premises. Officials subsequently learnt that the TMC leader was at another property on the adjacent Kalighat Road—the same location from which he operates one of his primary offices.
The CID team then proceeded to the Kalighat Road address, where they waited briefly to serve the notice. Although one of the MP’s associates initially requested that the officials submit the document directly to the office staff, the investigators declined, insisting on personal delivery. Consequently, Banerjee emerged from the property to receive the notice firsthand from the team.
Briefing the press on the incident, Banerjee first said that he had not read the notice. He would consult with his legal team after going through the notice and take appropriate measures, if needed.
"They had to serve me a notice, and I had to receive it in person. So, they were waiting here. They had gone somewhere else mistakenly; they didn't know where I lived," Banerjee said. Adding further, he mentioned, "I have not read the notice yet. I have accepted it and signed a receiving copy. I would speak to my lawyer, and if needed, I would take legal steps."
Later, in a more aggressive tone, Banerjee said that he is not scared of an alleged political conspiracy hatched by the Central and the state government, the investigative agencies, and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).
"Let them do whatever they want. They can do whatever they want. Understand it this way, earlier it was just the ED, CBI, and now it is Bengal Police and Kolkata Police too, along with KMC (Kolkata Municipal Corporation). There were 2–3 investigation agencies earlier, and now it is 5. They think they will send 5–6 agencies after me and blackmail me into cowering down. I am not a person like that. Even if you slit my throat or do anything you want, you will have to think 10 times and take 7 births to make me cower down. I am not a traitor," he said.
WHAT IS THE ALLEGED SIGNATURE FORGERY CASE?
The controversy is centred around a letter that nominated veteran TMC leader and MLA-elect from Ballygunge assembly constituency, Sobhandeb Chattopadhay, the leader of the Bengal state assembly after TMC's poll rout.
Multiple claims were raised that signatures of some of the elected MLAs were forged on the paper without their consent.
Earlier, the investigative agency questioned TMC MLAs Kunal Ghosh and Nayna Bandyopadhyay in this regard.
POLICE ARRIVED AT ABHISHEK BANERJEE'S RESIDENCE ON MONDAY
The political landscape in Kolkata was caught off guard on Monday when a detachment of six to ten Kolkata Police personnel made a surprise visit to the residence of Diamond Harbour MP.
While authorities offered no official explanation for the operation, departing officers were observed carrying a computer monitor away from the premises. The movement fueled widespread speculation that the police were dismantling parts of the surveillance network around the property.
Specifically, the team is believed to have removed CCTV cameras originally installed to monitor external security feeds back when Banerjee was granted the elite Z+ security category—a privilege subsequently revoked by the state government following a recent shift in West Bengal's political power structure.
Although Banerjee did not say a word on the visit, veteran Trinamool Congress MP Sougata Roy said it was part of a political vengeance.
“This is part of a political vendetta. Raids are being conducted at the homes of TMC leaders across various parts of Bengal. It is not even known what the specific allegations against Abhishek Banerjee are... Abhishek Banerjee cannot be held responsible without any factual basis. However, I am not surprised, as this is the modus operandi of the BJP throughout the entire state,” Roy told ANI.
A week ago, Banerjee received a notice from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) for 17 properties linked to him, including his official residence, over alleged unauthorised construction. The civic body had granted Banerjee a seven-day deadline to respond to the notices, which expired Monday.
A team of four officials from the West Bengal Central Investigation Department (CID) arrived at Santiniketan, the official residence of Trinamool Congress (TMC) National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, on Saturday afternoon, to hand him a notice, summoning the Diamond Harbour MP to its headquarters, Bhabani Bhawan, on June 1 (Monday) in a case related to the forgery of signatures of some of the newly-elected Trinamool Congress MLAs, as reported by multiple local media channels.
The incident took a dramatic turn when investigators arrived at Santiniketan only to discover that Banerjee was not on the premises. Officials subsequently learnt that the TMC leader was at another property on the adjacent Kalighat Road—the same location from which he operates one of his primary offices.
The CID team then proceeded to the Kalighat Road address, where they waited briefly to serve the notice. Although one of the MP’s associates initially requested that the officials submit the document directly to the office staff, the investigators declined, insisting on personal delivery. Consequently, Banerjee emerged from the property to receive the notice firsthand from the team.
Briefing the press on the incident, Banerjee first said that he had not read the notice. He would consult with his legal team after going through the notice and take appropriate measures, if needed.
"They had to serve me a notice, and I had to receive it in person. So, they were waiting here. They had gone somewhere else mistakenly; they didn't know where I lived," Banerjee said. Adding further, he mentioned, "I have not read the notice yet. I have accepted it and signed a receiving copy. I would speak to my lawyer, and if needed, I would take legal steps."
Later, in a more aggressive tone, Banerjee said that he is not scared of an alleged political conspiracy hatched by the Central and the state government, the investigative agencies, and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).
"Let them do whatever they want. They can do whatever they want. Understand it this way, earlier it was just the ED, CBI, and now it is Bengal Police and Kolkata Police too, along with KMC (Kolkata Municipal Corporation). There were 2–3 investigation agencies earlier, and now it is 5. They think they will send 5–6 agencies after me and blackmail me into cowering down. I am not a person like that. Even if you slit my throat or do anything you want, you will have to think 10 times and take 7 births to make me cower down. I am not a traitor," he said.
WHAT IS THE ALLEGED SIGNATURE FORGERY CASE?
The controversy is centred around a letter that nominated veteran TMC leader and MLA-elect from Ballygunge assembly constituency, Sobhandeb Chattopadhay, the leader of the Bengal state assembly after TMC's poll rout.
Multiple claims were raised that signatures of some of the elected MLAs were forged on the paper without their consent.
Earlier, the investigative agency questioned TMC MLAs Kunal Ghosh and Nayna Bandyopadhyay in this regard.
POLICE ARRIVED AT ABHISHEK BANERJEE'S RESIDENCE ON MONDAY
The political landscape in Kolkata was caught off guard on Monday when a detachment of six to ten Kolkata Police personnel made a surprise visit to the residence of Diamond Harbour MP.
While authorities offered no official explanation for the operation, departing officers were observed carrying a computer monitor away from the premises. The movement fueled widespread speculation that the police were dismantling parts of the surveillance network around the property.
Specifically, the team is believed to have removed CCTV cameras originally installed to monitor external security feeds back when Banerjee was granted the elite Z+ security category—a privilege subsequently revoked by the state government following a recent shift in West Bengal's political power structure.
Although Banerjee did not say a word on the visit, veteran Trinamool Congress MP Sougata Roy said it was part of a political vengeance.
“This is part of a political vendetta. Raids are being conducted at the homes of TMC leaders across various parts of Bengal. It is not even known what the specific allegations against Abhishek Banerjee are... Abhishek Banerjee cannot be held responsible without any factual basis. However, I am not surprised, as this is the modus operandi of the BJP throughout the entire state,” Roy told ANI.
A week ago, Banerjee received a notice from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) for 17 properties linked to him, including his official residence, over alleged unauthorised construction. The civic body had granted Banerjee a seven-day deadline to respond to the notices, which expired Monday.
