Bengal ED raids row deepens as Mamata Banerjee leads rally, BJP demands action

The legal battle also saw dramatic scenes at the Calcutta High Court, where Justice Suvra Ghosh, who was hearing multiple petitions related to the raids, left the courtroom citing excessive crowding.

With the high court closed over the weekend, the matter will now be taken up on Wednesday.

I-PAC has been working closely with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on its strategy for the West Bengal Assembly elections due later this year.

The ED conducted searches at the I-PAC office and at Jain’s residence on Thursday in connection with a coal smuggling case.

In a petition heard on Friday, the probe agency alleged that Mamata Banerjee had misused her constitutional position by obstructing ED officials during the raids.

The agency further claimed that the chief minister walked out of Jain’s residence with a laptop, a mobile phone and documents, and sought a CBI inquiry into the incident, including Banerjee’s alleged role.

Jain and the Trinamool Congress filed counter-petitions, accusing the ED of acting with political motives.

The TMC alleged that the raids were aimed at seizing sensitive documents related to its election strategy, which it claimed were intended to be handed over to the BJP ahead of the polls.

Even as court proceedings were underway, Banerjee took to the streets, leading a massive protest march on foot from Jadavpur to Hazra Crossing, a distance of around six kilometres.

The chief minister walked at the front, flanked by senior party leaders, with large numbers of TMC workers and supporters following and lining the roads in support.

Banerjee and other Trinamool leaders accused the BJP of misusing central agencies in a bid to gain an advantage in the upcoming Assembly elections, alleging that the ruling party at the Centre was acting out of desperation.

The BJP hit back strongly, accusing the West Bengal chief minister of being “knee-deep in corruption”.

Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said Banerjee should be made an accused for allegedly intimidating ED officials during the raids.

“There are a lot of suspicious circumstances surrounding the barbaric action of Mamata Banerjee. This indicates she was trying to rescue something sensitive that could implicate her and her party,” Prasad said, escalating the political war of words as the controversy deepened.