Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], January 9 : The Bharatiya Janata Party slammed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over "intervening" in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids at the Kolkata office of political consultancy firm I-PAC, with party's national spokesperson and MP Sambit Patra alleging "unprecedented obstruction of an official investigation by a sitting Chief Minister."
Addressing the media in Bhubaneswar, Patra claimed that Banerjee personally intervened during the ED operation and attempted to remove crucial evidence. "Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has obstructed official work today. Perhaps this is happening for the first time in India that when an ED raid is underway in connection with a corruption case, the Chief Minister enters and attempts to steal and destroy evidence," he alleged.
Patra said the ED conducted searches at 10 locations across the country, six in West Bengal and four in Delhi, in connection with an alleged coal scam and linked hawala transactions. According to him, raids were carried out on premises linked to Anup Majhi, an accused in the coal scam, during which investigators allegedly unearthed a hawala network that also could attract provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
"When the hawala chain was examined, a company named I-PAC came to light. Its premises were raided. During the operation, senior police officials arrived and asked ED officers for verification and identity documents, which were duly produced," Patra said.
He further alleged that the situation escalated after Mamata Banerjee reached the I-PAC office along with the state police. "Suddenly, Mamata Banerjee reached there with Bengal Police, pushed everyone aside, and collected physical documents and electronic evidence. She caused obstruction at both the I-PAC office and the residence of Pratik Jain, who runs I-PAC. She took away electronic and physical evidence. This shows that Mamata Banerjee has a lot to hide," Patra claimed.
The BJP leader's remarks came amid a political storm as Mamata Banerjee accused the central agency of targeting her party and unlawfully seizing sensitive data. The Chief Minister visited the I-PAC office during the operation and alleged that the ED confiscated party-related laptops, mobile phones, and strategic documents.
"If Amit Shah wants Bengal, then come, fight democratically, and win. Starting at 6:00 AM, they (ED) arrived and seized the party's data, laptops, strategies, and mobile phones. Their forensic experts transferred all the data. I believe this is a crime," Banerjee said.
The Chief Minister asserted that I-PAC is an authorised team working for the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) and not a private organisation. She alleged that the ED also seized documents related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. "We are a registered political party and regularly submit income tax returns. If any information is required, it can be sought from the Income Tax Department. Why was there a raid on our party's IT department?" she asked.
Meanwhile, ED sources maintained that the searches were being conducted strictly in accordance with legal procedures and were not politically motivated. The agency stated that at two of the ten premises searched, certain individuals, including constitutional functionaries, illegally intruded, misused their position, and forcibly took away documents from ED officials.