The West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department summoned Abhishek Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary and Member of Parliament, for questioning.

The summons comes amid a growing political crisis within the TMC, involving allegations of forged signatures related to the selection of the Leader of Opposition and other Assembly appointments. The investigation focuses on a cyber-related offense tied to these signature disputes.

Authorities served the notice to Banerjee on June 12, 2026. There are conflicting reports regarding the appearance date: one source states the CID ordered him to appear on June 1, 2026, at 12 noon [2], while another reports the summons is for June 16, 2026 [1]. The questioning is scheduled to take place at the CID headquarters at Bhabani Bhawan in Kolkata.

Banerjee responded to the summons with defiance. "Even if you slit my throat … I will not back down," Banerjee said [3]. Despite the rhetoric, he stated he would cooperate with the legal process. "I will always co‑operate with agencies," Banerjee said [4]. He further noted that he has never shied away from any investigation [5].

The legal pressure coincides with internal party friction. Reports indicate that around 19 dissident MPs are expected to submit a letter [6] regarding the ongoing crisis within the party. Banerjee said the situation is a result of the BJP's double standards.

The CID's probe seeks to determine how cyber-related offenses intersect with the alleged forgery of signatures used for official legislative appointments. The outcome of the questioning could further influence the stability of the TMC's internal leadership structure as it manages the dissident faction.

“"Even if you slit my throat … I will not back down."”

This investigation places a high-ranking TMC official under legal scrutiny during a period of internal party volatility. The intersection of cyber-crime and forged signatures suggests a sophisticated dispute over legislative legitimacy, and the potential defection or formal protest of 19 MPs indicates that the legal probe may be compounding a broader leadership crisis within the party.