Mamata Banerjee Leads Protest Over ED I-PAC Raids; TMC MPs, MLAs Detained

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday led a protest in Kolkata against recent raids conducted by the Enforcement Directorate on the office and residence of political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and its co-founder Pratik Jain.

The protest march, organised by the ruling All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), was taken out from Jadavpur’s 8B Bus Stand to Hazra More. The demonstration came a day after the Chief Minister visited the I-PAC office, following which the ED alleged that key evidence was removed during the searches.

Meanwhile, political tensions escalated in New Delhi as several TMC Members of Parliament staged a protest outside the office of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. MPs including Derek O’Brien, Mahua Moitra, Satabdi Roy, Saket Gokhale, Kirti Azad and others were detained by Delhi Police for protesting in a prohibited area.

The Enforcement Directorate has approached the Calcutta High Court, seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe against the Chief Minister and senior West Bengal police officials for allegedly obstructing its investigation linked to a money-laundering case involving alleged coal smuggling.

At the same time, I-PAC has also moved the Calcutta High Court challenging the legality of the searches and seeking protection against what it termed misuse of seized documents. The matter is expected to be heard by the court shortly.

Opposition leaders reacted sharply to the developments. West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari accused the Chief Minister of disrupting a lawful investigation, while leaders from the BJP demanded strict action. On the other hand, senior TMC leaders defended the protests, alleging that central agencies were being used for political vendetta. The unfolding episode has triggered a major political confrontation between the Centre and the West Bengal government, with both sides preparing for a prolonged legal and political battle.