CID team visits Mamata Banerjee's house in TMC forgery case
What's the story
A team of officials from the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) visited Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's residence and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) office, news agency IANS reported. The visit is part of an ongoing investigation into a signature forgery controversy that has rocked the TMC. The state investigative agency was accompanied by personnel from Kalighat Police Station during their visit to 30B Harish Chatterjee Street, Banerjee's residence.
Confrontation details
Brief confrontation between CID officials and TMC leader Subhasish Chakraborty
A brief confrontation was reported between CID officials and TMC leader Subhasish Chakraborty, a former Rajya Sabha MP. The dispute arose over the team's entry into the premises as part of their investigation into the forgery case. "In his response, Abhishek Banerjee stated that signatures of MLAs were collected at the party's central office at 30B Harish Chatterjee Street," a CID officer told PTI.
Forgery allegations
FIR filed in signature forgery case
The case has its roots in a controversy that erupted after a proposal to the Assembly Speaker sought recognition for senior TMC MLA Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of Opposition. The proposal allegedly bore forged signatures of several legislators. This led to an FIR being filed and a CID probe launched into the matter.
Leadership dispute
Controversy over leadership tussle
The dispute stems from a tussle over who should be the Leader of the Opposition after the Assembly elections. The rift deepened when 58 out of 80 TMC MLAs reportedly rebelled against party leadership. They backed expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee instead of Chattopadhyay, the official candidate for the legislature role.
Leadership change
Rebel camp takes control of TMC legislature party
Adding a twist to the drama last week, the rebel camp took control of the TMC legislature party. They elected Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of the Opposition and got recognition from the Assembly Speaker. This development marks the first split in TMC's 28-year history since its formation in 1998.