Abhishek Banerjee leaves CID office after over 8-hour questioning in signature mismatch case (2nd Ld)
Kolkata, June 14 (IANS) West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officials on Sunday questioned Trinamool Congress National General Secretary and Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee for around eight-and-a-half hours in connection with the Assembly signature mismatch case.
Banerjee left the CID headquarters at Bhabani Bhawan at around 8.20 p.m.
By then, Trinamool Congress MLA from Beleghata, Kunal Ghosh, had already left Bhabani Bhawan after being questioned for around four hours.
After coming out of the CID headquarters, Ghosh said that he had cooperated with the investigation.
He also revealed that he had been questioned face to face with Abhishek Banerjee by CID officials in connection with the Assembly signature mismatch case.
However, Kunal Ghosh did not make any further comments after leaving the CID headquarters. From there, he went straight to the residence of Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee in Kalighat.
Before entering Mamata Banerjee’s residence, Ghosh said: “I am a witness in this case. I have cooperated with the investigation. I have done what was required of me.”
Around an hour later, Abhishek Banerjee also left the CID headquarters after facing questioning for more than eight-and-a-half hours.
Abhishek Banerjee had reached the CID headquarters at Bhabani Bhawan on Sunday afternoon to face another round of questioning in the Assembly signature mismatch case.
The CID had asked Banerjee to appear by noon. However, the Trinamool Congress MP reached the CID office before the scheduled time.
The Calcutta High Court had directed Banerjee to cooperate with the investigation by the state police’s intelligence department in the matter. The court had also said that the CID would not take any coercive action against him for the next two weeks.
On Sunday, Banerjee’s vehicle reached the CID office at around 11.43 a.m. He first went to the reception, where he showed his identity card and signed the attendance register before entering the office.
Security was heightened at the Bhabani Bhawan premises, with additional state police personnel and Central forces deployed in the area. Although Sunday was a holiday, CID officials reached the office in the morning.
Earlier, Banerjee had appeared before CID officials for questioning in the same case last Thursday (June 11). He was questioned for around five-and-a-half hours that day.
After leaving the CID office at night, the Diamond Harbour MP went to Mamata Banerjee’s residence in Kalighat.
The CID had asked him to appear again on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the CID had also asked Trinamool Congress MLA from Beleghata, Kunal Ghosh, to appear for questioning in the same case on Sunday.
Responding to the summons, Ghosh also reached the CID headquarters.
It may be noted that on Monday (June 15), Abhishek Banerjee is scheduled to be questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at its Salt Lake office, on the northern outskirts of Kolkata, in connection with the multi-crore cash-for-school-job case in West Bengal.
The ED had served him a notice in the matter on June 3.
On Tuesday, he is again scheduled to appear at the CID headquarters for questioning in connection with a case in which he has been accused of inciting violence and threatening Union Home Minister Amit Shah before the recently concluded Assembly polls in the state.
CID officials served him a notice in that matter on the evening of June 12.
It is not yet clear whether he will appear before the concerned agencies on Monday and Tuesday.
Banerjee does not have protection from the High Court against police action in these two cases as of now.
–IANS
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