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The ED carried out searches at multiple premises linked to political consultancy I-PAC and its director Pratik Jain in Kolkata and Delhi.
I-PAC is the TMC's primary political consultancy. CM Mamata Banerjee visited Jain’s residence and the I-PAC office during the raids, alleging seizure of Trinamool Congress strategy documents.
The ED said the action was linked to a coal pilferage and money laundering investigation, not to elections or party offices. The raids come ahead of elections in the state early in 2026.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday, 8 January 2026, conducted raids at the Kolkata office of political consultancy firm I-PAC and at the residence of its director Pratik Jain, triggering sharp political reactions and a dramatic intervention by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
According to officials and party sources, searches began early in the day at I-PAC’s office in Salt Lake, Jain’s residence on Loudon Street, and another trader’s office in Burrabazar’s Posta area. According to ED officials, a total of 10 premises were searched, six in Kolkata and four in Delhi. Jain was present at his residence and was being questioned when the raids began.
Around noon, Mamata Banerjee arrived at Jain’s residence, accompanied by senior West Bengal Police officials including Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma. She later visited the I-PAC office in Salt Lake where searches were still underway. Visuals from the scene showed heightened security and tense exchanges between officials and party leaders.
The Chief Minister alleged that the raids were politically motivated and aimed at accessing internal Trinamool Congress data. “They are great killers of democracy. They are trying to steal party data,” she told reporters, claiming that crucial documents related to Trinamool Congress strategy and candidate selection were taken by the ED. She said mobile phones, laptops and hard disks had been seized and warned that such actions were meant to intimidate party candidates ahead of elections.
I-PAC – Indian Political Action Committee – is the TMC’s primary political consultancy. The firm was founded by political strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishore in 2013 as Citizens for Accountable Governance (CAG). The firm debuted by overseeing Narendra Modi’s campaign during the 2014 Lok Sabha Election. Since, I-PAC has partnered with parties across the spectrum. Since 2019, it has led TMC’s electoral campaigns and is credited with helping the party return to power with a large majority in the 2021 Assembly elections and shaping its campaigns in subsequent polls, including the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Banerjee has announced protests across the State, with one set for 9 January 2026, and said an FIR would be registered over what she described as unlawful conduct by the agency. She also urged the Prime Minister to rein in the Union Home Minister. “What will happen if we reciprocate this ED search by raiding BJP party offices?” she asked.
This is not the first time Mamata Banerjee has confronted central agencies during raids. In 2019, she staged a dharna against a CBI operation targeting the then Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar.
The raids come shortly before West Bengal is due to go to the polls in March-April 2026, with the BJP positioned as the principal challenger to the ruling Trinamool. Senior party leaders pointed out that Trinamool general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee has been questioned multiple times in recent years by central agencies in connection with the same coal-related case.
ED officials disputed the allegations. The agency said the searches were part of an ongoing investigation into alleged coal pilferage and related money laundering, based on “fresh evidence” that emerged from a case being probed by both the ED and the CBI. The case stems from a 2020 FIR concerning alleged illegal mining and pilferage of coal from areas operated by Eastern Coalfields Ltd, a Coal India subsidiary. ED sources said the current searches were meant to examine alleged hawala transactions and cash generation linked to the case.
In a statement, the ED said no political party office was targeted and that the action had no connection to elections. The agency alleged that “constitutional functionaries” had interfered with the search process and claimed that documents were taken away during the raid. It indicated that it was preparing to approach the Calcutta High Court, alleging obstruction of a statutory investigation.
The opposition BJP accused the Chief Minister of interfering in a central agency’s work. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari termed Banerjee’s visit to Jain’s residence “unconstitutional” and called on the ED to take action. BJP spokespersons said the Chief Minister’s presence, along with senior police officers, amounted to direct interference in an ongoing probe.
As the ED searches continue and political tempers rise, the episode has once again brought to the fore the fraught relationship between the West Bengal government and central investigative agencies, with both sides accusing the other of undermining democratic and legal norms.
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