West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over its search operations at the office of election strategy firm I-PAC and the residence of its director Prateek Jain, describing the action as a “crime” and a “murder of democracy”.
The Chief Minister personally visited both locations during the raids, triggering a political confrontation between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the BJP-led Centre.
Mamata Banerjee reached the I-PAC office in Salt Lake around 1:38 pm and stayed there for about 45 minutes while ED officials continued their searches. Speaking to reporters after coming out, she alleged that the agency had seized documents, laptops and mobile phones from what she described as an “empty office”.
“There was no one in the office this morning. The ED came around 6 am and took all the documents, laptops and iPhones. I think this is a crime. A murder of democracy,” Banerjee said.
Earlier in the day, she visited Prateek Jain’s residence on Loudon Street, accompanied by Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma. After a brief stay, she left carrying a green file and claimed that crucial party-related documents, hard drives and mobile phones were being taken away by the ED.
Directly targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Banerjee accused the BJP of using central agencies to compensate for its political weakness.
“Control your Home Minister. Unable to fight us politically, they have stolen our political strategy in this way. The people will give their answer in the elections. The BJP’s results will be even worse,” she said.
Warning the Centre, the Chief Minister added, “I will show courtesy. But you will be mistaken if you think this is my weakness. You will loot everything of mine, and I will just sit silently?”
Calling I-PAC the “authorised team of the Trinamool Congress,” Banerjee alleged that the ED had “looted” party documents and emptied office tables.
ED links searches to coal smuggling probe
The ED carried out simultaneous searches at the I-PAC office in Salt Lake and Jain’s residence as part of an investigation into an alleged coal smuggling and hawala network. According to agency sources, the searches were linked to an old case being probed in Delhi.
Hours after Banerjee’s remarks, the ED issued a statement accusing the Chief Minister of obstructing the investigation. The agency said searches were conducted at six premises in West Bengal and four in Delhi in connection with a coal smuggling syndicate.
“Proceedings were being conducted in a peaceful and professional manner, till the arrival of West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee along with a large number of police officials,” the ED said. It alleged that Banerjee entered Jain’s residence and took away “key evidences including physical evidences and electronic devices”.
The agency further claimed that at the I-PAC office, Banerjee, her aides and state police personnel “forcibly removed physical documents and electronic evidences,” resulting in obstruction of proceedings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
ED moves Calcutta High Court
Emphasising that the searches were evidence-based and not politically motivated, the ED said, “No party office has been searched. The search is not linked to any election and is part of regular crackdown on money laundering.”
Following the alleged obstruction, the ED approached the Calcutta High Court. Justice Shubhra Ghosh granted permission for filing the matter, with a hearing likely on Friday.
As of Thursday afternoon, searches at both the I-PAC office and Jain’s residence were still underway, with senior state police officials, including Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar, present at the Salt Lake premises.
The Chief Minister also linked the ED action to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state. Alleging large-scale exclusion of voters, she claimed, “Nearly 1.5 crore are being called for hearings. The names of 54 lakh people have been dropped. Even after this, they know they cannot win, so they stole our strategy.”
Opposition reacts
Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari criticised Mamata Banerjee’s visit to Prateek Jain’s residence, calling it “completely unethical”. However, he refrained from commenting on the substance of the ED investigation.
Adhikari also recalled earlier instances where the Chief Minister protested against central agencies, including her sit-in outside the CBI’s Nizam Palace office in 2021 after the arrest of senior TMC leaders, and her protest during a CBI search at the residence of former police commissioner Rajeev Kumar.
I-PAC’s role in TMC campaigns
I-PAC has been a key player in the Trinamool Congress’s electoral strategy since 2019. Under the guidance of Prashant Kishor, the firm worked closely with the party ahead of the 2021 Assembly elections, which saw the TMC win 213 seats and Banerjee return as Chief Minister for a third term.
Although Kishor stepped away from active political consulting in 2022, I-PAC continued its association with the TMC and was also involved in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, in which the party won 29 of West Bengal’s 42 seats.
With the ED’s court move and the state government’s strong pushback, the confrontation is set to escalate further in the coming days.
