Trinamool Congress all-India general secretary Abhishek Banerjee entered Bhabani Bhawan at 11.43am on Sunday and walked out at 8.20pm after facing over eight-and-a-half hours of questioning by the state CID in connection with the alleged signature forgery case.
When he emerged from Bhabani Bhawan, Abhishek appeared visibly tired. He got into his car without making any statement, and the vehicle did not stop despite repeated questions from reporters waiting outside.
He drove straight to former chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s residence in Kalighat and came out shortly afterwards.
Sunday’s session was the second round of questioning that Abhishek has faced since Thursday, when he appeared at Bhabani Bhawan in response to a CID summons. That interrogation had lasted around five-and-a-half hours.
Sources said the authenticity of the signatures on the resolution book remained the central focus of the investigation during Sunday’s questioning as well.
On arriving at Bhabani Bhawan, the Trinamool Congress’s second-in-command was asked to sign the visitors’ register at the ground floor of the CID headquarters before being allowed entry. Sources said his lawyer, who accompanied him, produced the summons issued to Abhishek to establish that he was appearing in compliance with the CID’s notice.
Sources said investigators felt that Abhishek had either avoided answering some questions or given vague responses to others, leaving room for further questioning.
“He did not respond to all the questions and bypassed some of them,” a source said.
It was not immediately clear on Sunday night whether the CID had issued him another summons for a fresh round of questioning.
Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh, who was also summoned in connection with the same case, arrived at Bhabani Bhawan at 3.23pm and left around 7.15pm after being questioned by investigators.
Kunal Ghosh arrives at the Bhabani Bhawan on Sunday.
Ghosh, the TMC MLA from Beleghata, told reporters waiting outside: “I was called as a witness. I have replied to all the questions. I have not committed any crime. I have cooperated.”
Asked if he was questioned face-to-face with Abhishek, he responded: “Yes, it happened.”
Sources in the CID said Abhishek was questioned about the resolution book that carried the signatures of TMC MLAs on a resolution nominating Ballygunge MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the state’s Leader of the Opposition.
The matter stems from a complaint lodged by party MLA Ritabrata Banerjee, now associated with a rebel faction, at Hare Street police station, alleging forgery of signatures. An FIR was subsequently registered, after which the CID took over the investigation.
Over the past few days, CID teams have visited several Trinamool MLAs to verify their signatures against those on the document under scrutiny.
Ritabrata and fellow Sandipan Saha were suspended from the party for reporting the alleged forgery.
Both are now part of a group that has pledged to help the Suvendu Adhikari government usher in development in Bengal. They have collated the support of most party MLAs and have staked a claim to be formally declared the main Opposition party in the Bengal Assembly.
The interrogation session on Sunday came a day after a team of Bengal Police visited Abhishek Banerjee’s residence early on Saturday in search of a suspect in a land-grab case who is a close aide of the Trinamool leader.
Sumit Roy, wanted by West Midnapore Police in a land-grab case, had accompanied Abhishek during his earlier appearance at Bhabani Bhawan on Thursday. Police arrived at the Banerjee residence early on Saturday morning looking for him.
When the door was not opened till around 6.15am, the police broke open the locks and searched the premises in Abhishek’s presence.
However, the person was not found. Police left the residence about an hour later, preparing a seizure list that recorded “nil” recovery.