ED Raids I-PAC: CM's Intervention Sparks Legal Showdown
By KUNAL CHATTERJEE
KOLKATA: Enforcement Directorate teams raided the Kolkata office of political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and co-founder Pratik Jain's residence on January 8, 2026, probing money laundering links to a West Bengal coal scam. The operation, involving about 10 locations including Delhi sites, uncovered documents and devices tied to alleged hawala transactions from illegal coal smuggling. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's dramatic arrival at the scene escalated tensions, leading to mutual accusations and a Calcutta High Court clash.
Pratik Jain, an IIT-Bombay engineering graduate, co-founded I-PAC in 2015 with Prashant Kishor, starting with the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The firm now leads Trinamool Congress's IT and media operations, credited for TMC's "Didi-R 10 Ongikar" campaign that secured victory in the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections. As TMC IT cell head and Mamata Banerjee's key strategist, Jain's prominence made the raids a flashpoint ahead of state polls.
Searches began at 7 a.m. with central paramilitary support, targeting I-PAC's Salt Lake office and Jain's Loudon Street home over a 2020 CBI FIR on coal pilferage from Kunustoria and Kajora mines. ED seized computers and papers implicating Jain in scam-related cash flows linked to TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee.
Mamata Banerjee arrived with state police, retrieved TMC laptops and election files, and accused ED of data theft for BJP's electoral gain, prompting family theft complaints and ED's obstruction claims. Labelling the raids "BJP vendetta," Banerjee hit out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, questioning ED's mandate on political documents and vowing a Kolkata protest march. She challenged BJP to compete transparently, insisting the probe misused PMLA for harassment.
ED countered that actions followed "specific evidence," denying election interference and affirming focus on financial crimes. I-PAC countered with a Calcutta High Court plea against the raids, as ED filed for orders to curb interference and complete searches. Justice Suvra Ghosh will hear arguments on January 9, amid claims of inadequate CRPF deployment fuelling resistance. No arrests occurred, but the probe traces scam proceeds, heightening political stakes in West Bengal.
