Bengal signature ‘forgery’ case: TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee seeks more time to appear before CID | Kolkata News

KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee on Monday sought more time from the West Bengal CID to appear for questioning in the alleged signature forgery case involving party MLAs. The CID had asked Banerjee to appear at its Bhawani Bhawan headquarters in south Kolkata by noon on Monday. However, he travelled to New Delhi over the weekend to attend a meeting of the opposition INDIA bloc. TMC chief Mamata Banerjee also arrived in the national capital on Sunday for the meeting.The investigation centres on allegations that signatures of several TMC MLAs were forged on documents submitted to the West Bengal Assembly in connection with the appointment of Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of the Opposition, Asima Patra and Nayna Bandyopadhyay as Deputy Leaders of the Opposition, and Firhad Hakim as Chief Whip.According to CID officials, statements of 13 MLAs have been recorded so far. Three legislators have reportedly claimed that the signatures appearing against their names in the May 6 Meeting Resolution Book were not made by them. One MLA from Canning Purba also told investigators that he did not attend the meeting in Kolkata where the resolution was allegedly adopted.The controversy began after Banerjee informed the Assembly Speaker on May 9 that decisions regarding key legislative appointments had been taken at a meeting of the TMC legislative party. On May 20, he submitted a copy of the Meeting Resolution Book and an attendance sheet showing that 70 MLAs were present at the May 6 meeting.However, on May 27, two TMC MLAs alleged that no resolution regarding the Leader of the Opposition had been passed on that date and claimed they signed the resolution book only on May 19. They further alleged that the May 6 resolution was “manufactured and fabricated” and pointed to several signatures written in block letters.Following a complaint by the Assembly’s principal secretary, a case was registered at Hare Street Police Station under provisions related to cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy. The CID took over the probe the following day.The agency has also asked Banerjee to produce the original Meeting Resolution Book as part of the investigation. Handwriting experts are assisting investigators in examining whether any signatures were forged.A CID team visited Banerjee’s residence on Saturday and served him a fresh notice after he did not appear before investigators earlier this month. While accepting the notice, Banerjee said he would respond after consulting his legal advisers.“They arrived with a notice, and I accepted it. I have received it, but I have not read it yet. I will take whatever appropriate steps are necessary after consulting my lawyer. If any cooperation is required from me, or if I am summoned, I will attend,” Banerjee said.Describing the investigation as politically motivated, he said he would not be intimidated by what he called pressure tactics.“They could not intimidate me before, and I am not someone who will bow my head in the future either. I have nothing to hide. In the past, whenever the ED or CBI summoned me — even to Delhi — I always cooperated with the probe. I never ran away,” the Diamond Harbour MP said. “If anyone thinks that by summoning us, intimidating us, falsely implicating us in fake cases, and sending us to jail, they can force us to bow our heads, they are mistaken. Even if you cut my throat, I will not bow down.”Taking a swipe at former party colleagues who joined the BJP, he added: “Not everyone joins the BJP by flattering Amit Shah to serve their political interests. Those who deliver grand speeches today about eradicating corruption are the same people who have two, three, or four ED and CBI cases hanging over their heads. In the past, no CM of Bengal was ever seen on television stretching out a hand to take money like a shopkeeper accepting cash.”Questioning the impartiality of the investigation, Banerjee further said: “We are not traitors. If they have the power, let them arrest me. I will fight legally. If you want to implicate me in false cases and arrest me, then go ahead. The CID is yours, the ED is yours, the CBI is yours, Kolkata Police is yours, West Bengal Police is yours — take me away. I am not running. I am right here.”Banerjee also referred to a Kolkata Municipal Corporation notice regarding alleged building rule violations at his residence, saying: “The KMC issued a notice stating that there are deviations in my house. The notice says: ‘Enclosed, please find the brief with regard to the deviation and other details’. However, no brief or details were actually provided to me. I have already replied to that notice and legally challenged it by filing a case in the Calcutta High Court on Friday. The matter is now sub-judice and will be decided by the court.”