Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has strongly denied allegation put out by ED before Calcutta High court that she removed electronic devices and documents from premises being searched.
BY PC Bureau
January 8, 2026: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has approached the Calcutta High Court alleging that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee obstructed an ongoing money-laundering investigation by forcibly removing documents and electronic devices during a search operation at the residence of Pratik Jain, chief of political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC).
According to the ED, the Chief Minister arrived at Jain’s residence in south Kolkata on Thursday while agency officials were conducting a search linked to an alleged coal smuggling and money-laundering syndicate in the state. The central agency claimed that Banerjee, accompanied by state police personnel and officials of the West Bengal administration, removed laptops, mobile phones, and physical documents from the premises, disrupting the probe.
The ED has alleged that similar actions were repeated at I-PAC’s office, where documents and electronic evidence were allegedly taken away in the presence of the Chief Minister. Calling the episode a “serious obstruction of investigation” under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the agency said it has sought judicial intervention. The High Court is expected to hear the matter on Friday.
Using ED won’t save you, it only exposes your fear.
Modi–Shah clearly don’t know who @MamataOfficial is.
Don’t mistake her silence for weakness.
Don’t dare take her on – you will be finished.Bengal doesn’t bend.
Bengal strikes back. #VoteOutBJP #AbarJitbeBangla… pic.twitter.com/nHfukTlBz4— Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay (@SanghamitraLIVE) January 8, 2026
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Rejecting the allegations, Mamata Banerjee described the ED action as politically motivated and accused the BJP-led Centre of weaponising central agencies ahead of the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections. Speaking to reporters outside Jain’s residence, she claimed that ED officials had seized party data, election strategy material, tax documents and bank details.
“They have taken laptops, iPhones, party data and election-related strategy. This is an insult to the IT sector. Is this not a crime?” Banerjee said, adding that I-PAC was an authorised consultant working for her party. “If you disrupt our data building now, you are interfering with the democratic process,” she asserted.
ED Headquarters Unit is conducting search action at 10 premises (6 in West Bengal and 4 in Delhi) under PMLA in connection with coal smuggling syndicate led by Anup Majee used to steal and illegally excavate coal from ECL leasehold areas of West Bengal. The search action was… pic.twitter.com/ab7PCReiJo
— ED (@dir_ed) January 8, 2026
The Chief Minister said she went to Jain’s residence after failing to reach him on the phone and finding ED officials present there. She also questioned whether similar action would be acceptable if opposition parties were to raid BJP offices.
The ED, however, denied targeting any political entity. In a statement, the agency said the searches were “evidence-based,” not linked to elections, and conducted strictly in accordance with legal procedures. “No party office has been searched. The action is part of a routine investigation into money laundering,” the statement said.
The agency confirmed it was conducting searches at 10 locations—six in West Bengal and four in Delhi—in connection with an alleged coal smuggling syndicate led by Anup Majee. According to the ED, the syndicate illegally mined and transported coal from Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) leasehold areas, with proceeds allegedly routed through hawala networks.
Investigators claim a portion of the illegally mined coal was supplied to multiple industrial units across districts such as Bankura, Bardhaman and Purulia. The ED further alleged that hawala operators facilitated transactions involving large sums of money to I-PAC, placing the firm on the agency’s radar.
Meanwhile, Jain’s family has lodged a police complaint accusing ED officials of stealing important documents during the raid—an allegation the agency has denied.
The episode has triggered a sharp political confrontation. BJP leaders accused the Chief Minister of placing herself above the law. “When a Chief Minister personally removes potentially incriminating documents during an ED search, she is undermining the Constitution and the rule of law,” BJP leader Swapan Dasgupta said in a post on X.
Opposition leaders, however, rallied behind Banerjee. Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi termed the raid an act of political coercion, while Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav claimed it reflected the BJP’s fear of defeat in Bengal.
As investigations continue, the High Court’s response to the ED’s petition is expected to determine the next course of action in a case that has further intensified the Centre–state political standoff in West Bengal.
