Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee was summoned by the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Monday for questioning on Tuesday in connection with the legislators’ signature forgery case.
Abhishek Banerjee, along with TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, attended the India Caucus meeting in Delhi on Monday. Meanwhile, former Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim met Ritabrata Banerjee, the leader of the rebel TMC legislative group that alleged rigging.
“Abhishek Banerjee was first summoned on June 1, but he was due to illness and requested more time. He was asked to appear for questioning on June 8 (Monday) but did not turn up, though we found that he had flown to Delhi on Saturday. The third summons, served at his residence in Kalighat, gives him just 24 hours,” said a state police officer, requesting anonymity.
On June 3, West Bengal Assembly Speaker Rathendra Nath Bose recognized 58 rebel TMC legislators as the main opposition group in the 294-member House.
On June 1, Ritabrata and Sundipan Saha were expelled from the TMC after Prime Minister Suvendu Adhikari said their written complaint had led to a CID investigation into alleged signature forgery.
This development came 29 days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 207 seats against the TMC’s 80 seats.
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The two lawmakers alleged that the signatures of several TMC MLAs were forged on the May 19 resolution nominating Subhandeep Chattopadhyay as Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly. The spokesman then requested a police investigation into the matter. Abhishek Banerjee is the prime suspect as he sent the resolution to the Speaker.
Ritabrata and Sandipan Saha are now the leader and deputy leader of the opposition, respectively.
22 MPs, including Farhad Hakim, remained silent until Sunday. On Monday, Al-Hakim and another lawmaker, Shamim Ahmed, visited the assembly and met with Ritabrata in the room reserved for the LJP. Al-Hakim resigned from the post of mayor of Kolkata on Friday.
“No comments,” Hakim, who was once considered one of Mamata Banerjee’s closest aides, told reporters as he left the Assembly. Ahmed avoids the media.
However, Ritabrata noted that more TMC MLAs are preparing to leave the party.
He said: “I have known Farhad Hakim since 1998, when I appeared for the matriculation exam. He was a senior minister in the government and the mayor of Kolkata. He and Shamim Ahmed came to meet us. We had a long discussion, but I cannot reveal the details. We have enough numbers, and the numbers will increase.”
He added, “The Speaker of Parliament did not come to the Council today. Anyone who wants to (join us) must write individually to the Speaker of the Council. No such letter was submitted today. More people will come tomorrow.”
Criticizing the dissident faction, Kunal Ghosh said: “Those who became MLAs because of Mamata Banerjee are abandoning her. The lady can at least expect to see loyalists on her side.”
The police are pursuing the former Minister of Sports
Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate has launched a manhunt for former Sports Minister Arup Biswas, another Mamata Banerjee loyalist, who has been booked in connection with the fiasco surrounding Lionel Messi’s December 2025 India tour.
“Biswas was called for questioning but he did not turn up today. Earlier, he skipped summons due to illness but did not provide any medical records. We are trying to trace his location,” a police officer said.
Satadru Dutta, the organizer of the event, filed a criminal complaint on June 1 against Biswas and several others, accusing them of sabotaging and framing the high-profile event.
Spectators who had bought expensive tickets saw the program end after just 22 minutes without seeing Messi, who was allegedly surrounded by Biswas, his assistants and relatives. Biswas lost his Tollygunge seat to the BJP in May.
His brother, TMC leader Swaroop Biswas, was arrested by Kolkata Police on June 4 on charges including extortion and criminal intimidation. He is the President of the Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India (FCTWEI).
New Alipore police station arrested Swaroop Biswas on the basis of a complaint from a film technician who allegedly kept her away from work for two years. She claimed that he took money from her after promising her work, but later threatened her and made indecent proposals to her.
