KOLKATA: The West Bengal state Crime Investigation Department (CID) launched coordinated searches at the high-profile residences of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Trinamool National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee today. This major escalation is tied to an ongoing probe into a signature forgery scandal that has thrown the party into turmoil.
Supported by a large contingent of police personnel, three specialized CID teams executed search warrants at the party’s central office and key properties located on Harish Chatterjee Street.
The Core Controversy: How the Scandal Unfolded
The legal action stems from an official proposal submitted to the West Bengal Assembly Speaker. The letter sought the formal recognition of veteran leader Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP). However, the internal stability of the party ruptured when two of its own MLAs openly rebelled.
The Widening Political Fracture
The legal raid reflects a massive power struggle brewing within the state’s main political force. Just minutes after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari publicly named the two dissenting MLAs who flagged the forgery, the Trinamool leadership retaliated by expelling both Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha for “anti-party activities.”
While Mamata Banerjee is currently away in New Delhi, the presence of state investigators at her doorstep signals a deep structural crisis for her party. The investigation is now heavily focused on forensic verification of the legislative documents to determine exactly who authorized the questionable signatures.
You can watch detailed coverage of the internal party fallout and the public statements of the rebel legislators in this report on the Trinamool Congress Signature Forgery Row, which explains the political crisis and the subsequent expulsions directly from Kolkata.
