Kolkata, June 4 (IANS) A team of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of West Bengal Police visited the house of Trinamool Congress MLA and former Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim in connection with the investigation into the forged signatures incident in the state Assembly. The former mayor will be questioned about the signature incident.

Apart from this, handwriting samples of three more Trinamool MLAs were collected in court on Thursday in this incident. They are Canning Purba MLA Baharul Islam, Howrah Central MLA Arup Roy, and Maheshtala MLA Subhasish Das.

The CID had approached the court seeking to collect handwriting samples of the Trinamool MLAs. The City Sessions Court granted their application. As per the court’s order, the three MLAs appeared in person on Thursday and gave handwriting samples.

A letter was sent to the Speaker of the Assembly on behalf of the Trinamool parliamentary party seeking to make Sovandeb Chattopadhyay the Leader of the Opposition. It is alleged that some inconsistencies were found in that letter. The state government has handed over the investigation to the CID. As a Trinamool MLA, Firhad also signed the letter. Detectives may question him about when and how the signature was made.

Earlier, the CID had raided the houses of several other Trinamool MLAs. The CID team went to the houses of Chowrangee MLA Nayna Bandyopadhyay and Beleghata MLA Kunal Ghosh. Their statements were heard and videographed.

The CID also went to Trinamool general secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s house in connection with the investigation into the signature case in the Assembly. His signature was on the letter as the All India General Secretary of Trinamool. In that incident, the CID has also summoned Abhishek to Bhabani Bhawan. Fearing arrest, Abhishek has approached the court seeking protection. The hearing of the case is scheduled for Friday in the Calcutta High Court.

On Wednesday, 58 Trinamool MLAs wrote a letter to the Speaker in the Assembly proposing to make the expelled Ritabrata Banerjee the Leader of the Opposition. As a result, the division within Trinamool became clear. Although these rebel MLAs accepted Mamata Banerjee as the President, they did not want to accept Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as the Leader of the Opposition. Amidst speculation about the future of Trinamool, the CID is actively investigating the signature case.

–IANS

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