Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids I-PAC office and director Pratik Jain’s residence in Kolkata, triggering a political storm as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleges conspiracy and political vendetta ahead of crucial Assembly elections.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday conducted simultaneous raids at the Salt Lake Sector V office of the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and the central Kolkata residence of its co-founder and director, Pratik Jain, triggering a major political confrontation in West Bengal. The searches, carried out with the assistance of central armed forces, immediately drew sharp reactions from the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee personally visiting the raid location and accusing the Centre of political conspiracy.
According to official sources, a special ED team flown in from Delhi led the operation, indicating the significance attached to the case by the central investigating agency. The raid at I-PAC’s Sector V office began early in the morning when only a handful of employees, including night-shift staff, were present. The office, located on the 11th floor of a multi-storey commercial building, was sealed off by central forces, preventing entry or exit during the search.
Simultaneously, ED officials reached Pratik Jain’s residence on Loudon Street in central Kolkata, where searches were also initiated. Jain is a co-founder of I-PAC and currently serves as one of its directors. The agency has not officially disclosed the exact nature of the investigation, but sources indicated that documents, electronic devices, and financial records were being examined as part of the probe.
The sudden enforcement action reportedly caught the I-PAC leadership off guard, especially as the firm is actively involved in preparations for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections. As the raids continued through the day, senior I-PAC officials held emergency meetings via video conferencing from their respective homes. Coordination meetings were also conducted with I-PAC teams working in various districts of the state.
The situation escalated politically when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived at Pratik Jain’s residence shortly after news of the raids broke. Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma accompanied her, underscoring the seriousness with which the state government viewed the development. Banerjee entered the residence briefly and later addressed the media, launching a fierce attack on the Enforcement Directorate and the Union Home Ministry.
Describing the ED action as a “conspiracy,” Banerjee alleged that the central agency was attempting to seize documents belonging to the Trinamool Congress. She claimed that she personally retrieved party-related files that ED officials were trying to confiscate. Accusing Union Home Minister Amit Shah of orchestrating the raids, Banerjee used unusually strong language, calling him the “naughtiest and nastiest” Home Minister the country has ever seen.
“The ED officials were trying to take away my party’s documents. I brought them back myself,” Banerjee said. She further alleged that the agency attempted to seize Pratik Jain’s mobile phone and hard drives, calling the actions politically motivated and aimed at destabilizing the ruling party ahead of elections.
The Chief Minister also announced her intention to visit I-PAC’s Salt Lake office, where the ED operation was still underway. I-PAC has been serving as the Trinamool Congress’s election strategy consultant since 2019 and played a key role in the party’s resounding victory in the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections.
Adding to the political significance of the day, the raids coincided with the arrival of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president J.P. Nadda in Kolkata. Nadda is scheduled to meet senior state BJP leaders as part of the party’s organizational review. Both the ruling TMC and the opposition BJP are closely monitoring the duration and outcome of the ED’s searches, viewing them through the lens of impending electoral battles.
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While the ED has maintained silence on specific charges or findings so far, the raids have once again intensified the ongoing confrontation between the Centre and the West Bengal government. The TMC has consistently accused central agencies of being used as political tools, while the BJP has defended such actions as part of lawful investigations.
As the searches continue, the episode is expected to have significant political ramifications in the state, potentially shaping narratives in the run-up to the next Assembly elections. The developments underline the deepening trust deficit between the state and central governments, with enforcement actions increasingly becoming flashpoints in India’s competitive political landscape.
