Mamata Banerjee leads Kolkata rally against ED raids on I-PAC

New Delhi, Jan 9: West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee on Friday led a protest rally in Kolkata against the Enforcement Directorate (ED), a day after the central agency conducted searches at the office of political consultancy I-PAC and the residence of its chief, Pratik Jain, The Times of India reported. The rally was held near the 8B bus stand in Jadavpur, where large numbers of TMC leaders and workers assembled, raising slogans against the alleged misuse of central agencies. Heavy police deployment was seen in the area. The protest followed ED raids at I-PAC’s office in Salt Lake’s Sector V and Jain’s central Kolkata residence. The TMC alleged that the agency attempted to access the party’s internal data and election strategy during the searches.

The issue also triggered protests in Delhi, where several TMC MPs, including Derek O’Brien and Mahua Moitra, were detained while demonstrating near Kartavya Bhavan, citing prohibitory orders in force. According to the Times of India, the ED said it is probing I-PAC, founded by Prashant Kishor, in connection with a 2020 money laundering case linked to a coal scam. The agency has alleged that its proceedings were obstructed following Banerjee’s arrival at Jain’s residence, a charge the chief minister has dismissed, describing the raids as a “vendetta crime.”