A political controversy has erupted in West Bengal after allegations surfaced that signatures of several Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLAs were forged or fabricated in documents submitted to the Assembly Speaker
regarding the appointment of the Leader of Opposition (LoP) and other legislative positions.
The matter is now under investigation by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which has already questioned multiple legislators and summoned senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee.
The scandal centres around a “meeting resolution” allegedly passed during a TMC legislative party meeting held on May 6 at former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s residence in Kolkata.
According to official communication later sent to the Assembly Speaker, the party had decided to appoint Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the Leader of Opposition, Asima Patra and Nayna Bandyopadhyay as Deputy Leaders of Opposition, and Firhad Hakim as Chief Whip.
However, the legitimacy of that resolution has now come under serious scrutiny.
HOW THE CONTROVERSY BEGAN
According to the reports, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee informed the Speaker on May 9 about the party’s decisions regarding the Assembly posts.
Later, on May 18, the Principal Secretary of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly sought the official minutes and resolution of the May 6 meeting, along with signatures of MLAs who were allegedly present during the decision-making process.
On May 20, Banerjee reportedly submitted a copy of the meeting resolution book and an attendance sheet showing signatures of 70 MLAs said to have attended the meeting.
The issue escalated on May 27 when two TMC MLAs, Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha, complained to the Assembly Speaker, alleging that no such resolution had actually been adopted on May 6.
They further claimed that they had signed the meeting resolution book only on May 19, nearly two weeks later.
The complainants alleged that the May 6 resolution was “manufactured and fabricated” and pointed out that several signatures in the document appeared in block letters, raising suspicion about their authenticity.
CID PROBE AND FORGERY ALLEGATIONS
Following the complaint, Hare Street Police Station registered a case under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) related to cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy.
The CID took over the investigation on May 28.
Since then, investigators have questioned at least 13 TMC MLAs whose signatures reportedly appeared in block letters in the resolution book.
Officials said that three legislators have already stated that the signatures attributed to them were not genuine.
According to PTI, the MLAs who allegedly denied the signatures include Baharul Islam of Canning Purba, Arup Roy of Madhya Howrah and Subhasis Das of Maheshtala.
Baharul Islam reportedly told investigators that he was at his residence in Bhangar on May 6 and did not attend any meeting in Kolkata that day.
The investigation has also involved handwriting verification.
A CID team, along with handwriting experts, visited TMC MLA Nayna Bandyopadhyay’s residence to examine signatures linked to the controversy.
Officials reportedly checked her PAN card and conducted videography during the inquiry process.
Bandyopadhyay, however, maintained that she had signed the relevant party document during the May 6 meeting and suggested that her signature may not match older records.
ABHISHEK BANERJEE SUMMONED
As the controversy deepened, the CID served notices to Abhishek Banerjee asking him to appear before investigators and produce the original meeting resolution book.
According to PTI, CID officials visited Banerjee’s residence twice within 48 hours and later issued another notice directing him to appear at the agency headquarters on June 8.
The TMC MP reportedly skipped an earlier appearance, citing health reasons following an alleged attack on him during a visit to Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas district.
CID officers also conducted videography at Banerjee’s residence as part of the probe.
An officer told PTI that the exercise was aimed at documenting the premises and collecting evidence linked to the investigation.
POLITICAL FALLOUT INSIDE TMC
The controversy has triggered internal turmoil within the ruling party.
TMC suspended and later expelled MLAs Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha for alleged “anti-party activities” after they raised objections over the resolution process.
Following his expulsion, Sandipan Saha sharply criticised the party, claiming that anyone speaking about morality inside the organisation was treated as engaging in anti-party activity.
He told ANI that he was “quite pleased” to be suspended for upholding ethical conduct.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has attacked the TMC leadership over the issue, asserting that those responsible for forging signatures would not be spared under the law.
The case has now evolved into a major political and legal controversy in West Bengal, with questions being raised over the authenticity of official legislative records, the functioning of the ruling party’s legislative wing and possible criminal liability if forgery allegations are proven.
