KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of attempting to steal voter information during its recent raids on the office of the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and the residence of its director, Pratik Jain. Banerjee has alleged that the ED's actions were politically motivated and aimed at undermining her party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), ahead of crucial elections.
The ED conducted searches at multiple locations in West Bengal and Delhi as part of a probe into an alleged fake government job scam, hawala transactions, and coal smuggling investigations. However, Banerjee claimed that the raids were a pretext to seize confidential party material, including candidate lists, campaign strategy documents, internal assessments, research inputs, and electoral roll-related data. She asserted that such information has no connection to any financial probe.
Banerjee made a dramatic appearance at the raid sites, confronting ED officials and accusing them of acting on behalf of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. She alleged that the ED was trying to access the TMC's internal political material, including hard disks, mobile phones, and strategy papers. "Is it the duty of the ED to collect political party data?" she asked.
The Chief Minister also linked the raids to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in the state, alleging large-scale harassment of citizens and the deletion of voter names. She claimed that millions of people were being summoned for hearings and that over five million voters' names had been removed. Banerjee announced that the TMC would protest the SIR process before the Election Commission in New Delhi.
Following her visit to the raid sites, Banerjee was seen leaving with a green file, which she said contained confidential party material. She alleged that the ED was attempting to confiscate the TMC's documents and hard disks, including sensitive information on assembly poll candidates.
The ED has refuted Banerjee's allegations, stating that the searches were conducted in a peaceful and professional manner until her arrival. The agency claimed that Banerjee entered Jain's residence and the I-PAC office and removed key evidence, including physical documents and electronic devices. The ED has accused the state police of forcibly removing digital devices and documents during the operation, terming it "forcible theft" and illegal removal of evidence. The agency also claimed that its officers were wrongfully restrained and confined during the operation.
The TMC has approached the Calcutta High Court challenging the ED's search and seizure operations, terming the action "arbitrary, mala fide and colourable". The party alleges that the seized material has no connection to any scheduled offense under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The ED has also moved the Calcutta High Court, alleging obstruction of its search operations.
The events have sparked a political storm in West Bengal, with the TMC and BJP trading accusations. Banerjee has announced protest marches against the ED's actions. The ED's actions have also drawn criticism from other opposition parties, who have accused the central government of misusing investigative agencies for political purposes.
