Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee did not respond to the third consecutive notice from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of West Bengal Police. The notice was regarding an investigation into signature mismatches of some party legislators in a significant resolution related to key positions in the state Assembly reserved for the Opposition bench. Despite being in New Delhi, Banerjee failed to appear at the CID’s headquarters in Kolkata by the specified deadline.
State police sources revealed that instead of appearing for questioning, Abhishek Banerjee sent a communication to the CID, requesting more time due to his current location outside Kolkata. He also mentioned an upcoming hearing at the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday regarding his petition challenging the CID summons and seeking protection from any coercive police actions, including arrest. This marks the third instance where Banerjee has disregarded notices for questioning, with previous notices issued on June 1 and June 8.
When Banerjee’s communication reached the CID headquarters, two CID teams were conducting raids at a Trinamool Congress office near Mamata Banerjee’s residence in Kalighat, South Kolkata, and another office at Camac Street in Central Kolkata, where Banerjee operated. Banerjee had departed for New Delhi on June 6, while Mamata Banerjee arrived in the national capital on June 8. Both leaders participated in a crucial meeting of the opposition Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc on June 8. The whereabouts of their return to Kolkata remain unknown, as they are currently in New Delhi amidst a situation where 20 out of 28 Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha MPs have rebelled against the party leadership under the guidance of veteran Lok Sabha members Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and Satabdi Roy, rejecting Abhishek Banerjee’s authority as the party’s General Secretary.
