CID At Mamata Banerjee's Home With Search Warrant In Signature Scandal Probe

Mamata Banerjee, a three-time former chief minister, remains in deep political peril as the Crime Investigation Department, or CID, arrived at her Kolkata home in connection with its investigation into the alleged forged signature of MLAs that has triggered an unprecedented split in the party.

Officials of the state investigating agency, accompanied by personnel from the Kalighat police station and a large contingent of women police personnel, arrived at the party's central office at 30B Harish Chatterjee Street around noon, sources said.

The CID's move comes days after the agency served notices seeking information related to the alleged forging of signatures of Trinamool legislators on a proposal submitted to the Assembly Speaker for recognition of the Leader of Opposition.

According to CID officials present at the spot, the search was sought on the basis of a reply submitted by Trinamool national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee to an earlier notice issued by the agency.

"In his response, Abhishek Banerjee stated that signatures of MLAs were collected at the party's central office at 30B Harish Chatterjee Street. Based on that statement, we have come here as part of the investigation," a CID officer said.

Three CID teams are conducting searches.

One team is at the residence of Mamata Banerjee, who is away in Delhi. Another team is at Mamata Banerjee's nephew and MP Abhishek Banerjee's office. A third team is at Abhishek Banerjee's residence.

The controversy erupted after a proposal sent to the Speaker seeking recognition of senior Trinamool MLA Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of Opposition allegedly contained forged signatures of several legislators. 

Two Trinamool MLAs -- Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha - complained to the Speaker that the so-called resolution was "manufactured and fabricated" and stated that as many as 14 of the 70 signatures were in "block letters".

The allegations led to the registration of an FIR and a CID investigation.

The Trinamool expelled both MLAs from the party for alleged "anti-party activities", minutes after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari publicly revealed their names.