Kolkata: Veteran Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay on Saturday handed over a copy of the controversial resolution book to Criminal Investigation Department (CID) investigators, as the agency intensified its probe into the Signgate case. The Ballygunge MLA stated that he personally called the CID to collect the copy of the May 19 resolution, for which the agency had earlier raided the home of TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and subsequently grilled him for eight-and-a-half hours.
CID Visits Chattopadhyay's Residence
A six-member CID team arrived at Chattopadhyay’s Bhowanipore residence around 9:30 am. The MLA confirmed that he had coordinated with the investigators. “Since the matter was being heard in Calcutta High Court, the resolution copy book was with my lawyer. After the subsequent proceedings, it was returned to me. I then called the CID and asked them to come. I handed over a resolution copy book and some other documents. The CID can say how much cooperation I have extended to the probe,” Chattopadhyay said following the team’s one-hour visit.
Background of the Signgate Case
Investigators had previously visited the homes of prominent TMC figures, including Abhishek Banerjee, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Firhad Hakim, Madan Mitra, and Kunal Ghosh, in search of the original resolution document. Abhishek was summoned multiple times to Bhawani Bhawan and was questioned face-to-face with Ghosh as officers attempted to reconstruct the sequence of events. The controversy revolves around alleged forgery of MLAs’ signatures on a resolution copy, which triggered a major political crisis in West Bengal.
Chattopadhyay Targets Rebel Camp
Without naming Ritabrata Banerjee directly, Chattopadhyay once again criticized the rebel faction. “We had called everyone to the meeting in good faith. The people who forged the signatures went straight to the speaker after doing so,” he alleged. The veteran legislator, who has already been questioned twice, is believed to have informed investigators that all TMC MLAs, except one, were present when the signatures were collected. He further alleged that those who later broke away from the party had conspired to create the forgery.
Political Fallout and Rebellion
The alleged forgery of legislators’ signatures on the resolution copy sparked one of the most dramatic political crises in Bengal in recent years. The controversy led to a rebellion within TMC, with a section of MLAs breaking ranks and rallying behind Ritabrata, who eventually became the Leader of the Opposition. The faction subsequently claimed to represent the “real Trinamool” and was later recognized as the principal opposition group in the assembly.
The CID’s intensified probe, including the collection of the resolution book from Chattopadhyay, marks a significant step in the investigation. The agency continues to examine the document and other evidence to determine the authenticity of the signatures and identify those responsible for the alleged forgery.
