Kolkata: ED raid on I-PAC sparks row, accuses Mamata Banerjee of 'forcible entry'

Kolkata: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided the I-PAC office in Kolkata on Thursday. Raids were also conducted at the residence of IPAC head Prateek Jain. 

Why has the ED raid created a controversy? 

Thursday’s ED raid in Kolkata has sparked a controversy. The Enforcement Directorate has alleged that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited Prateek Jain's house and took away all the necessary documents containing crucial evidence. Mamata Banerjee also allegedly took away several electronic devices. The investigating agency raided the I-PAC office located in the Salt Lake area of Kolkata and then raided the house of the company's owner, Prateek Jain.

I-PAC is a political consulting company that has been hired by Mamata Banerjee's party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), for the 2026 assembly elections. A statement issued by the ED said that the raids were conducted in connection with hawala transactions. 

“This hawala money came through a coal smuggling syndicate. A large portion of this coal was sold to the Shakambhari Group of Companies. The investigation revealed that this scam is also linked to hawala operators. The hawala nexus has been confirmed by the testimonies of several witnesses,” the statement read.

“The investigation also revealed that a person involved in coal smuggling had transactions with I-PAC and had transferred several crore rupees to the company. A link between IPAC and this hawala nexus has been established. The agency says that raids were conducted today at 6 locations in West Bengal and 4 locations in Delhi,” the statement added.

What was the role of the Kolkata Police?

During the raid, the Deputy Commissioner of South Kolkata also arrived at the scene and allegedly asked the ED officials for their identification. The Kolkata Commissioner also arrived at the scene with several police officers. The ED officials identified themselves and explained the basis and under whose authority the raid was being conducted. The concerned officials also showed their ID cards.

How did Mamata Banerjee react?

Furthermore, the ED alleged that during the raid, Mamata Banerjee arrived at Pratik Jain's residence with a large number of police officers and took away several documents containing crucial evidence. She also seized several electronic devices. 

Following this, CM Mamata's convoy also reached the IPAC office. There too, Mamata Banerjee forcibly entered with several officials. From there, they also took away several documents. In this way, the ED has influenced the investigation.