ED Raid On IPAC: West Bengal's capital city, Kolkata, on Thursday, witnessed an unprecedented incident in which West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, directly, confronted the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials during raids on the residence and the office of Pratik Jain, Trinamool Congress (TMC) IT Cell Head and the director of top political consultancy group I-PAC. The Central probe agency accused Banerjee of entering the residential premises of Jain during its ongoing search operation and taking away "key evidence", including physical documents and electronic devices. On the other hand, Banerjee alleged that the ED officials attempted to get sensitive documents related to her party's poll strategies. The search operation, which began at 6 am, continued for over nine hours, an official of the probe agency said, adding that ED officials left Jain's residence on Loudon Street in the southern part of the city around 3 pm.
Here Are The Key Developments That Unfolded In Kolkata
- Angered with the ED action, the chief minister announced that she would lead a protest in Kolkata on January 9 following the raids at the I-PAC office in connection with the alleged fake government job scam.
- Earlier today, Mamata Banerjee visited the I-PAC office on a public road and accused the central agency of unlawfully seizing party-related data, laptops, mobile phones, and strategic documents. She alleged that forensic experts transferred data during the raid, calling it a "crime" and daring Union Home Minister Amit Shah to fight the Trinamool Congress (TMC) democratically in Bengal.
- The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hit back at the TMC chief following her visit to the Kolkata office of political consultancy firm I-PAC, which was raided. In a post on X, the BJP alleged that Banerjee's actions during the ED raid raised "disturbing questions" and indicated a "deeper conspiracy." The party claimed that the sight of a sitting Chief Minister rushing to an investigation site to secure party documents and hard disks was not damage control but suggested an attempt to hide incriminating evidence.
- The ED and I-PAC moved the Calcutta High Court over the central agency's searches at the office and residence of Jain. The ED moved the court alleging interference in its investigation, while I-PAC challenged the legality of the searches.
- The searches were part of a money laundering probe into an alleged multi-crore rupee coal pilferage scam, official sources said.
- The family of Pratik Jain filed a police complaint against the ED, alleging theft of important documents during a raid at home. "Shortly after that, Pratik Jain's wife filed a complaint at Shakespeare Sarani police station alleging theft by the ED. It is alleged in the complaint that essential documents were stolen from their home during the raid," the police officer said.
(With agencies inputs)