Ranit Kr. Singh , Kolkata — The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the West Bengal Police has questioned multiple Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislators regarding allegations of forged signatures on a May 19 letter nominating Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the Assembly’s Leader of the Opposition (LoP). The investigation follows a complaint lodged by the Assembly secretariat at Kolkata’s Hare Street police station after a routine review revealed that several signatures on the document did not match official legislative records. Officials confirmed that any legislator found guilty of forging signatures could face disqualification from the Assembly.

The controversy centers on a mandatory legislative party meeting held at TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee’s residence on May 19. While the party holds 80 seats in the 294-member House—following a BJP electoral sweep of 207 seats—the exact attendance at the meeting remains undisclosed. Among the legislators questioned by investigators, Canning East MLA Baharul Islam explicitly denied signing the document, stating he was at home during the meeting. Conversely, other prominent TMC lawmakers, including Nayna Bandopadhyay and Chandranath Sinha, confirmed their attendance and validated their signatures to visiting CID teams.

The developments have triggered sharp political reactions and internal unease. Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose has declined to comment, but BJP MLA Tapas Roy characterized the incident as unprecedented forgery, noting that police action could proceed under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Meanwhile, the 82-year-old Chattopadhyay distanced himself from any malpractice, pointing out that while the party only required 30 signatures for the nomination, the proactive political response raised questions. He added that the outcome of the probe would not affect his personal commitment to legislative integrity.