Mamata Banerjee Accuses Enforcement Directorate of Targeting Trinamool Congress Documents
Allegations Against the Enforcement Directorate
On Thursday, West Bengal's Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of attempting to confiscate internal documents and digital data from the Trinamool Congress during raids at various sites associated with the political consultancy I-PAC in Kolkata and Bidhannagar.
Banerjee questioned, “Is it the responsibility of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the ED to take away all my party documents?” She further criticized the BJP leader for failing to ensure the country's safety.
“What would happen if I visited the BJP office?” she posed.
VIDEO | Kolkata: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) visits I-PAC Director Prateek Jain’s residence after an ED raid and says, “Is it the duty of Home Minister Amit Shah and the ED to take away all my party documents? If I go to the BJP party office, what will be the… pic.twitter.com/lRQOpKtVN4
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 8, 2026
Earlier that day, the ED conducted searches at I-PAC’s office located in Salt Lake, the residence of its head Pratik Jain, and a trader's office in the Posta area of northern Kolkata as part of an investigation into alleged money laundering.
These searches were initiated following a first information report filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation regarding a coal smuggling syndicate accused of illegally excavating coal from Eastern Coalfields Limited leasehold areas in West Bengal.
Banerjee arrived at Jain’s residence around noon while the search was ongoing and stayed for approximately 20 to 25 minutes. She emerged with a green file, asserting that officials from the central agency were seizing party documents in anticipation of the upcoming Assembly elections.
With elections in West Bengal expected in the next few months, Banerjee claimed, “The ED raided my IT sector office and searched the residence of my IT sector in-charge. They were confiscating my party’s documents and hard drives containing details about our candidates for the Assembly elections. I have retrieved those.”
Following this, she visited I-PAC’s Salt Lake office, accompanied by state minister Sujit Bose and Bidhannagar Mayor Krishna Chakraborty, as Trinamool Congress supporters gathered outside.
According to reports, Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma and Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar also visited the locations where the searches were being conducted.
The ED stated that their actions were carried out in a “peaceful manner” until Banerjee's arrival at the scene.
The agency clarified that the search was evidence-based and not aimed at any political entity, asserting that no party office had been targeted.
They also denied any connection to the elections, claiming that the operation was part of a routine crackdown on money laundering.
On Thursday, the ED approached the Calcutta High Court alleging “illegal interference” during its operations, with a hearing scheduled for Friday.
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari criticized Banerjee's visit to Jain’s residence and the I-PAC office, labeling it “unconstitutional.”
“I-PAC is a corporate entity,” stated the leader of the Opposition in the Assembly. “They attempted to obstruct an investigation by a central agency. The ED should take legal action against the chief minister. I-PAC is not a party office. Why would party documents be there?”