CID issues 3rd summons to TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee in signature forgery case

NAtional superior general secretarial assistant of the Trinamool us congress (TMC), Abhishek Banerjee, was summoned by the w Bengal malefactor Investigation Department (CID) on Monday for questioning on Tuesday in connection with the legislators’ signature forgery case.Abhishek Banerjee, along with TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee, attended the INDIA bloc meeting in Delhi on Monday. Meanwhile, former Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim met Ritabrata Banerjee, the leader of the rebel TMC legislator group that has alleged forgery.“Abhishek Banerjee was first summoned on June 1 but cited illness and sought more time. He was asked to appear for questioning on June 8 (Monday) but did not turn up, although we found that he had flown to Delhi on Saturday. The third summons, served at his Kalighat residence, gives him only 24 hours,” a state police officer said on condition of anonymity.On June 3, West Bengal assembly speaker Rathindra Nath Bose recognised 58 rebel TMC legislators as the principal opposition group in the 294-member House.On June 1, Ritabrata and Sandipan Saha were expelled from the TMC after chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said their written complaint had led to the CID probe into the alleged signature forgery.The development came 29 days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 207 seats against the TMC’s 80.Also Read: At INDIA bloc meeting, Congress is called ‘glue’ as 23 parties target 2029The two legislators alleged that signatures of several TMC MLAs were forged on a May 19 resolution nominating Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the assembly’s leader of opposition (LoP). The speaker subsequently sought a police investigation into the matter. Abhishek Banerjee is a key suspect because he forwarded the resolution to the speaker.Ritabrata and Sandipan Saha are now the leader and deputy leader of the opposition, respectively.Twenty-two legislators, including Firhad Hakim, had remained silent until Sunday. On Monday, Hakim and another legislator, Shamim Ahmed, visited the assembly and met Ritabrata in the LoP’s designated chamber. Hakim resigned as Kolkata mayor on Friday.“No comments,” Hakim, once considered as one of Mamata Banerjee’s closest aides, told reporters while leaving the assembly. Ahmed avoided the media.Ritabrata, however, suggested that more TMC MLAs were preparing to leave the party.“I have known Firhad Hakim since 1998, when I appeared for the higher secondary examination. He was a senior cabinet minister and mayor of Kolkata. He and Shamim Ahmed came to meet us. We had a long discussion, but I cannot divulge the details. We have enough numbers, and the numbers will increase,” he said.“The speaker did not come to the assembly today. Those who want (to join us) have to write individually to the speaker. No such letter was submitted today. More people will come tomorrow,” he added.Taking a dig at the dissident faction, TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh said, “Those who became MLAs because of Mamata Banerjee are abandoning her. The lady can at least expect to see loyalists by her side.”Police hunt for former sports ministerBidhannagar police commissionerate launched a search for former sports minister Aroop Biswas, another Mamata Banerjee loyalist, who has been booked in connection with the fiasco surrounding the Lionel Messi India GOAT Tour in December 2025.“Biswas was summoned for questioning but did not appear today. Earlier, he skipped a summons citing illness but did not furnish any medical records. We are trying to trace his location,” a police officer said.Satadru Dutta, the event’s organiser, filed a criminal complaint on June 1 against Biswas and several others, accusing them of sabotaging the high-profile event and framing him.Spectators who purchased expensive tickets saw the programme end after just 22 minutes without seeing Messi, who was allegedly surrounded by Biswas, his aides and relatives. Biswas lost his Tollygunge seat to the BJP in May.Kolkata police arrested his brother, TMC leader Swarup Biswas, on June 4 on charges including extortion and criminal intimidation. He is the president of the Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India (FCTWEI).The New Alipore police station arrested Swarup Biswas based on a complaint by a film technician, who alleged that he kept her out of work for two years. She claimed that he took money from her after promising work, but later threatened her and made indecent proposals.