High political drama unfolded in Kolkata on Thursday when West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the residence of Prateek Jain, head of political consultancy firm I-PAC, following an Enforcement Directorate raid. Banerjee alleged that officials attempted to seize documents belonging to her party, the Trinamool Congress, including hard disks containing internal and sensitive data.
Search operations were also carried out at the I-PAC office. The Indian Political Action Committee is known to provide political consultancy services to the ruling Trinamool Congress and manages its IT and media-related operations. The raids immediately triggered political reactions across the state.
Videos that surfaced on social media showed Banerjee arriving at Jain’s residence and later visiting the office premises. She appeared visibly agitated while moving through a crowd of supporters and media personnel amid loud scenes. Security officials and senior police officers were also present during her visit.
Addressing reporters, Banerjee termed the raid politically motivated and unconstitutional. She claimed that officials targeted the residence of what she described as her party’s IT chief. According to her, Enforcement Directorate officials were attempting to confiscate party documents and hard disks that contained information related to candidates for upcoming Assembly elections. Banerjee said she had retrieved those materials herself.
She questioned the authority of the central agency and the Union Home Minister, asking whether it was their role to seize documents belonging to a political party. Banerjee also referred to the deletion of voter names under the Special Intensive Revision process and claimed that the raids were linked to the election schedule. She alleged that the central agencies were being misused to harass opposition parties.
The Chief Minister further stated that her party was being targeted simply because elections were approaching. She asserted that such actions were aimed at disrupting the Trinamool Congress’s organisational work and data management ahead of the polls.
The development drew sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party. Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, described Banerjee’s visit to the I-PAC chief’s residence during the raid as unconstitutional interference in a central agency investigation. He said such actions undermined the rule of law and set a dangerous precedent.
Adhikari stated that the Enforcement Directorate should take appropriate steps against the Chief Minister for allegedly obstructing official proceedings. He claimed that Banerjee’s presence, along with senior police officials, amounted to direct interference in the probe.
He also recalled an earlier incident when Banerjee had visited the official residence of the then Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar during a Central Bureau of Investigation raid. Adhikari argued that similar conduct was being repeated and questioned the neutrality of state authorities during central investigations.
BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari also reacted strongly to the incident. In a social media post, he said Banerjee appeared rattled and rushed to defend Prateek Jain with Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma standing beside her. He alleged that the alleged money trail linked to the Trinamool Congress had been exposed and claimed that I-PAC was being used as a front to camouflage illegal activities.
Bhandari further stated that illegal funds could not be used to finance elections, influence voters, or undermine democratic processes. He accused the ruling party of attempting to shield individuals connected to alleged financial irregularities.
As of the filing of this report, neither the Enforcement Directorate nor I-PAC had issued an official statement detailing the nature of the searches or the case under investigation. The exact scope of the probe and the reasons behind the raids remained unclear.
The incident has added to the already tense political atmosphere in West Bengal ahead of the Assembly elections. While the Trinamool Congress maintains that central agencies are being used as political tools, the BJP insists that the law must take its course without interference. The episode has intensified the confrontation between the ruling party and the opposition, placing the role of investigative agencies and political accountability firmly in the spotlight.
