In a dramatic escalation of tensions, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee led a massive protest march spanning approximately 6 kilometers through the streets of Kolkata on Friday afternoon. This public display of defiance came less than ten hours after she personally lodged two First Information Reports (FIRs) against unidentified officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
FIRs Alleging Serious Offences Filed by CM
The FIRs, which are believed to be the first in Bengal filed by a sitting chief minister, stem from Thursday's searches conducted by the ED. The federal agency raided the Salt Lake office of political consultancy I-PAC, which works for the Trinamool Congress (TMC), and the Loudon Street residence of its director, Pratik Jain. These actions were part of an investigation into an alleged coal scam.
Banerjee took a highly unusual step by visiting Jain's home while the search was ongoing. She reportedly took away a green folder, a hard disk, and a phone from the premises before proceeding to the I-PAC office in Sector V's Godrej Waterside building, where she stationed herself for four hours.
The complaints, drafted by the CM herself outside the I-PAC office, led to the registration of the FIRs on Friday morning. The first FIR was filed at Shakespeare Sarani police station under BNS sections 303 (theft), 332 (criminal trespass), and 3(5) (criminal intimidation), along with section 66 of the IT Act (tampering with electronic data). Police have collected CCTV footage from Jain's home to probe the allegations. A second FIR was lodged with the Electronic Complex police station in Sector V.
A Defiant Rally and Sharp Political Attacks
Addressing a rally at the Hazra crossing after the two-hour march from Jadavpur 8B bus stand, Banerjee defended her actions. "What I did was in the capacity of Trinamool chairperson. I did nothing wrong," she asserted. "If you come to kill me, I have every right to defend myself. Why did you come like a thief... You stole everything for five hours. You came to steal information — SIR data, voter information, BLA names, and phone numbers."
The Chief Minister launched a fierce attack on the BJP, alleging links between Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari to the coal scam that prompted the ED searches. "The money reaches Suvendu Adhikari... and then goes to Amit Shah through Adhikari," she claimed, warning, "You are lucky I have not released any pen drives yet. If you cross limits, I will expose you."
She also pointed out that I-PAC had previously worked with the BJP and other parties. "When Narendra Modi became Prime Minister in 2014, I-PAC had worked for them... They have worked for Chandrababu Naidu, Jagan Reddy and Nitish Kumar, too," she said, framing the raids as a targeted political attack.
Police Investigation and Political Repercussions
Commenting on the sensitive case, Badana Varun Chandra Sekhar, Joint Commissioner of Police, Headquarters, Bidhannagar City Police, stated, "We are still in a nascent stage of the investigation and we can't comment on the developments at present. We are looking into all available evidence and are speaking to witnesses as per the complaint."
The march saw thousands of TMC supporters lining the route, with children offering flowers to the Chief Minister. Banerjee described the atmosphere as a "new wave of energy, ready for a struggle; as if Bengal had risen again in a new form." She issued a stark warning to her detractors, stating, "An injured tiger is more dangerous than a healthy one. They awakened me through this attack. I feel rejuvenated after yesterday's incident."
This incident marks a significant new low in the ongoing confrontation between the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal and central investigative agencies, setting the stage for a major political and legal battle in the run-up to the national elections.
