Tensions have escalated in West Bengal following a series of Income Tax (IT) raids targeting individuals closely linked to the Trinamool Congress (TMC), including a key figure involved in Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s electoral process.

On Friday afternoon, IT officials arrived at the 2 Elgin Road residence of Miraj Shah, a prominent Chartered Accountant and a member of the trustee board at the Bhawanipur Education Society. Shah gained political significance as one of the proposers for Mamata Banerjee’s nomination in the Bhawanipur constituency.

Widening the Net

The raid on Shah’s property follows a morning of intense activity by central agencies. Earlier that day, officials conducted searches at the home and office of TMC MLA Debashis Kumar. These actions appear to be an extension of an investigation involving a South Kolkata construction firm accused of illegal land encroachment and unauthorized projects.

The probe has also reached:
• The residence of Kumar’s in-laws.
• The home of TMC labor leader Kumar Saha in Kalighat.

Sources indicate that officials are scrutinizing Miraj Shah’s financial records from the last five to ten years. Notably, this is not Shah’s first encounter with federal agencies; his premises were previously searched in 2022.

“Dangerous for Democracy”: TMC Reacts

The ruling Trinamool Congress has slammed the moves, characterizing them as a politically motivated attempt to disrupt the election atmosphere and intimidate the party.

TMC leader Kunal Ghosh issued a scathing critique of the central government’s tactics, labeling the raid on a Chief Minister’s proposer as a “shameful” act of desperation.

“The use of the Income Tax Department to target Mamata Banerjee’s proposer is dangerous for democracy,” Ghosh stated. “The BJP has realized they are facing a massive defeat, and they are now shamelessly using state machinery to harass us and spoil the polling environment.”

The party alleges that the central agencies are being utilized as tools to divert public attention away from the polls. While the IT department has yet to release an official statement regarding the findings of these raids, the political fallout has already ignited a fierce debate over the autonomy of central investigative bodies during election cycles.

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