Key Points:
Mahua Moitra, Derek O’Brien and six other TMC MPs were detained by the Delhi Police on January 9, 2026, while protesting outside Union Minister Amit Shah’s office. The protest was against ED raids on the I-PAC office and Pratik Jain’s residence.
The TMC MPs staged a sit-in outside Kartavya Bhavan after security personnel stopped them from entering the Home Minister’s office. They raised slogans accusing the BJP of misusing the ED to gain electoral advantage in the 2026 West Bengal elections.
Mamata Banerjee condemned the police action as unacceptable and accused the BJP of misusing constitutional bodies. The ED and TMC later filed counter petitions in the Calcutta High Court over the I-PAC raids.
“Shame - Shame, Amit Shah, Shame - Shame”: cried Mahua Moitra as she was being forcefully dragged away by the Delhi Police today, on January 9, 2026. Mahua Moitra, Derek O’Brien and six other TMC MPs were detained by the Delhi Police today, following their protests outside the office of Union Minister Amit Shah, against the raids conducted by the ED (Enforcement Directorate) on the I-PAC (Indian Political Action Committee) office. The ED conducted raids at a total of 10 premises linked to I-PAC, with six in Kolkata and four in Delhi. Earlier, on January 8, 2026, the ED carried out searches at the Kolkata office of the political consultancy I-PAC, and its director Pratik Jain’s residence.
The other TMC lawmakers detained by the Police were Satabdi Roy, Bapi Haldar, Saket Gokhale, Pratima Mondal, Kirti Azad and Sharmila Sarkar. They were escorted to the Parliament Street police station. The TMC MPs initially tried to enter the Home Minister's office building at around 8:40 am to register their dissent against the ED searches, however they staged a sit-in dharna (protest) outside the building following their removal from the premises by the security personnel. Later, the Delhi Police forcibly removed them from the building, prompting Mahua Moitra and other leaders to raise slogans against the BJP.
The MPs held posters which displayed several slogans (in Hindi, English and Bangla), such as “Amit Shah + ED versus People of Bengal”, “Bengal rejects dirty moves played by Modi and Shah”, and To Modi, Shah & ED, Jotoi Koro Hamla, Abar Jitbe Bangla (No matter how many attacks you make, Bengal will win this time)” among others. Addressing the media, Kirti Azad said that they were protesting against the unconstitutional methods of ED conducting raids at I-PAC offices, and the undemocratic ways the BJP was using to gain electoral advantage for the upcoming elections in West Bengal, in 2027.
“Whatever they (BJP) do, we will definitely win the election this time in Bengal, we will defeat the BJP, let the people of the nation see how they (BJP) are misusing the ED”, shouted Mahua Moitra as she was being dragged by the Police. Local media reports show that initially, the police tried to request them to move from the site, but later, they forcefully dragged them away. Saket Gokhale told the media that all of the TMC members were peacefully protesting outside Amit Shah’s office, to address their rightful concerns but Amit Shah responded by ordering the Police to drag us, assault us and then forcefully arrest us. He also added that this shows how scared Shah was, and he also challenged him to use whatever dirty tactic he could use, but the people of Bengal will support the rightful TMC.
Mamata Banerjee strongly condemned the incident, stating that it was unacceptable, dragging elected representatives of the Parliament. She said that the act was not law enforcement, but arrogance in uniform. In a post on X, she stated: “Democracy does not function on the convenience or comfort of those in power. When BJP leaders protest, they expect red carpets and special privileges. When opposition MPs raise their voices, they are dragged, detained, and humiliated. This double standard exposes the BJP’s idea of democracy - obedience, not dissent.”
ED conducted the raids on the grounds of financial irregularities conducted by Prateek Jain and I-PAC. However, Mamata Banerjee intervened, strongly objected and took the documents gathered by the ED in her possession, stating that it was the party's strategic documents. I-PAC is working for the TMC, to work on campaigns and strategies for the upcoming West Bengal state assembly elections. Mamata Banerjee also criticised the BJP and ED, stating that the BJP was using a constitutional body (ED) to illegally retain crucial party documents.
See Also: Gujarat IAS Arrested in ₹10 Crore PMLA Case—ED Alleges Bribery in Granting Land Approval Forms
Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Suvendu Adhikari hit out at Mamata Banerjee, stating that she illegally interfered in a legal raid conducted by the ED, thus action must be taken against her. Several other BJP leaders echoed the same sentiments, criticising the Mamata Banerjee led ruling TMC.
Following the developments, the ED has filed a plea before the Calcutta High Court, asking for a CBI probe against Mamata Banerjee for interfering in legitimate raids carried out by the body. In response to this, the TMC has also filed a counter petition in the High Court seeking the return of the documents (electronic or paper, among others) allegedly seized by the ED.
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