• Source:JND
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Bengal News:  The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday carried out a search operation at 20 sites across West Bengal, including the capital Kolkata. The action was a part of an investigation in connection with an illegal sand mining case.

The raid started at 6 am on Monday and took place in districts like Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, Jhargram, and Midnapore. Several offices, private firms at Salt Lake dealing with sand mining, the residence of its top official, and other locations linked with an employee, Gopiballavpur in Jhargram, were raided during the operation. Other locations where action took place included an insurance agent’s house in Kolkata’s Regent Colony area.

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“Sand is legally extracted from blocks along the rivers’ banks, which are auctioned by the state government. But there are allegations that sand and riverbed material are extracted beyond the permissible limit and sold illegally using fake challans. Syndicates control the multi-crore racket,” a senior state government official was quoted as saying by the HT.

Illegal mining of Riverbed material (RBM), comprising boulders, gravel, and sand, allegedly occurs frequently in South Bengal districts.

ED Raid In Bengal Triggers Political Slugfest

The raid carried out by ED sparked a row between BJP and TMC, with BJP leaders targeting top TMC officials while TMC linked the ED action with Bengal Assembly polls set to take place in 2026.

BJP leader, Suvendu Adhikari, who is also Leader of the Opposition in the state legislative assembly, told media persons, “It is a huge racket. If the state government earns Rs 20 as revenue from sand mining, ₹80 goes into the pockets of Bhaipo (nephew) and his team. A nexus exists in which senior police officials are involved. They are paid hefty amounts as bribes. The ED should speed up its investigation.”

TMC hit back at the BJP, saying that agencies like ED get more active when elections are near and are being used by the BJP.

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“Everyone understands why the ED and CBI are becoming hyperactive. Elections are coming. It is not the ED or CBI but the BJP, which decides which house to raid. Such raids are not carried out to arrest miscreants. They are carried out to rope in leaders of the opposition parties. The BJP uses these agencies as weapons,” Arup Chakraborty, TMC spokesperson, told the media.