Eight TMC MPs were detained by the police after staging a dharna outside the office of Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday afternoon. The development came even as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee geared up to lead a protest march in Kolkata following Enforcement Directorate raids at the IPAC office. The party has accused BJP of “misusing” central agencies and leading an “assault on democracy”.
The ED had sparked outrage after leading raids against I-PAC and its chief Pratik Jain on Thursday — allegedly in connection with a coal scam. The agency provides political consultancy services to the TMC and manages its IT and media operations. Banerjee has accused the ED of attempting to seize the Trinamool Congress’ internal data and election strategy during the searches. The CM termed the raids “political vendetta” and alleged misuse of central agencies to intimidate opposition parties. TMC leaders have maintained that I-PAC was being targeted to gain access to sensitive internal documents.
TMC MPs dragged away by police
A police officer said several party leaders including Derek O’Brien and Mahua Moitra were detained and taken to Parliament Street Police Station. Visuals shared online showed the lawmakers being lifted and dragged into a police van while they protested in Delhi. The TMC MPs had raised slogans and waved placards as they tried to forcibly enter Kartavya Bhawan in Delhi. They staged a protest at the gate upon being denied entry — later being forcibly evicted from the site by Delhi Police.
“What kind of arrogance is this Amit Shah? Are you now using your Delhi Police to assault elected representatives just to crush democracy? Is this how dissent is silenced in your India? Admit it, you are rattled! First, the shameless misuse of the ED. Now, an attack on the peaceful dharna of our eight MPs. This desperation exposes your fear. You may try to choke democracy, but Bengal will not be cowed. Shame on you and your police!” the party wrote on its official X handle.
Mamata Banerjee leads protest
The West Bengal Chief Minister is slated to lead a protest in Kolkata following the ED raids. She alleged that the central agency had seized party-related materials — including hard disks, candidate lists and strategic documents — ahead of the elections, and accused Amit Shah of misusing central agencies. Meanwhile the ED has accused Banerjee of entering the residential premises of IPAC director Prateek Jain during its search operation and taking away “key evidence” including physical documents and electronic devices.
“Is it the duty of the ED, Amit Shah, to collect the party’s hard disk, candidate list? The nasty, naughty Home Minister who cannot protect the country is taking away all my party documents. If Amit Shah wants Bengal, then come, fight democratically, and win. Everyone must know what kind of operation has been carried out. At 6:00 am, they arrived and seized the party’s data, laptops, strategies, and mobile phones. Their forensic experts transferred all the data. I believe this is a crime,” Banerjee told reporters.
ED vs TMC LIVE: Enforcement Directorate moves SC in I-PAC case
The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday moved the Supreme Court of India in connection with the I-PAC raids case involving West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
In an Article 32 petition filed before the top court, the ED laid out the sequence of events surrounding its searches in Kolkata and alleged that its right to conduct a fair investigation was curtailed due to interference by the state machinery. The agency has sought a court-monitored probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the matter.
The move comes a day after the ED failed to secure urgent relief from the Calcutta High Court, where it had sought a CBI inquiry into the alleged obstruction of its operations. The ED has accused senior state officials and others of interfering with its raids at premises linked to political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee and its director.
Meanwhile, the West Bengal government has filed a caveat in the Supreme Court, requesting that no order be passed in the case without hearing it. A caveat is filed to ensure that a party is heard before any adverse order is issued.
ED vs TMC LIVE: Calcutta HC defers ED vs TMC hearing to January 14
The Calcutta High Court on Friday adjourned the hearing in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) vs Trinamool Congress (TMC) case for January 14, 2026, as per a report by ANI. The hearing was deferred as the courtroom experienced a heavy crowd, with a large number of lawyers present.
ED vs TMC LIVE: I-PAC says ED raids set ‘unsettling precedent’
Political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) on Friday said the Enforcement Directorate’s searches at its premises had set an “unsettling precedent”, marking its first public response to the raids that have triggered political turmoil in West Bengal ahead of elections due later this year.
In a statement, I-PAC said it viewed the developments as concerning for a professional organisation but stressed that it would continue its work without disruption. “Yesterday was a difficult and unfortunate day for a professional organisation like I-PAC. We believe this raises serious concerns and sets an unsettling precedent,” the firm said, adding that it had extended full cooperation to the authorities and would continue to do so “in complete accordance and respect for the law”.
The consultancy, which is currently engaged by the All India Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, said the searches would not affect its functioning. “Despite what transpired, we remain fully committed to continuing our work unfazed and unperturbed, with consistency and accountability,” it said.
I-PAC emphasised that it operates strictly as a professional advisory firm and does not contest elections or hold political office. “Our role is limited to transparent and professional political consulting, uninfluenced by differences in political ideology,” the statement said.
The firm noted that over the years it has worked with a range of political parties cutting across ideological lines and regions, including the BJP, Congress, AAP, TMC, JD(U) and Shiv Sena.
The Enforcement Directorate has said the raids were part of an ongoing investigation, though details of the probe have not been made public. The searches have sparked sharp reactions from political leaders in West Bengal, with the issue expected to dominate the political discourse in the run-up to the polls.
ED vs TMC LIVE: ‘People will lose respect for her’: Himanta Biswa Sarma on Mamata Banerjee
Assam Chief Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee's conduct during the ED raids linked to political consultancy firm I-PAC in Kolkata was unbecoming of a person occupying her position.
He also said that people will lose respect for Banerjee “due to her actions”.
“The way Mamata Banerjee entered the sites, took away the files, spoke against the home minister; I think people will lose respect for her completely,” Sarma told reporters.
“I don't want to comment more, but it is a sad thing if a serving CM hijacks files. I think it is too much,” he said.
The ED has maintained that the operations were part of a probe into an alleged multi-crore rupee coal pilferage scam, and accused Banerjee of obstructing a lawful investigation, claiming that she and the state police forcibly removed "key evidence" during the raids.
- via PTI
ED vs TMC LIVE: BJP Mahila Morcha holds protest
BJP Mahila Morcha on Friday held a protest march from Rabindra Sarovar to Deshapriya Park against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over her recent alleged interference in a raid conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Kolkata's I-PAC office.
BJP leader Locket Chatterjee, who also participated in the protest march, claimed that Banerjee interfered in the ED probe as her "life was stuck" in the I-PAC office, further condemning her remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
"Yesterday will be marked as a black day in the history of West Bengal. It is a matter of shame that, being a CM, she is using such words against the Prime Minister and the Home Minister. She then alleges being humiliated by the central government. Mamata Banerjee's life was stuck in that IPAC office yesterday. This is why she was there," she stated to ANI.
- via ANI
ED vs TMC LIVE: Mamata eyes Delhi 'after winning Bengal'
"We will win 2026 Bengal assembly polls. BJP govt at Centre won't continue till 2029...After winning Bengal, we must win Delhi as well; can't have BJP rule India," she said during the Kolkata rally.
ED vs TMC LIVE: Mamata Banerjee addresses rally - 'They tried to steal strategy details'
“If someone tries to hit me politically, I get politically rejuvenated. During raids at I-PAC yesterday, they tried to steal strategy details of my party; we condemn this," she told the crowd.
ED vs TMC LIVE: Mamata Banerjee files multiple FIRs against ED
TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee on Friday lodged dual complaints against the ED in connection with the agency's raids at the office of political consultancy firm I-PAC and the residence of its chief Prateek Jain here.
Based on the complaints, the Kolkata and Bidhannagar Police filed FIRs and initiated an investigation, an officer said.
The complaints, coupled with the TMC's petition in the Calcutta High Court against the ED, is believed to have taken the confrontation between the two sides a notch higher, after Kolkata witnessed dramatic scenes of the chief minister landing up at the search operation venues and allegedly removing “key documents” and electronic devices from the sites.
ED vs TMC LIVE: Mehbooba Mufti hails 'tigress' Mamata, says she will not surrender
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Friday described West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as a "tigress", saying the TMC chief is "very brave" and will not surrender. Mufti was reacting to the Thursday's ED searches at the office of the political consultancy firm I-PAC and the residence of its director Pratik Jain in Kolkata.
The action ignited high drama with the West Bengal chief minister storming at the raid site, alleging that the central agency was trying to seize the TMC's sensitive data ahead of the state polls.
Mufti said that while such raids by ED or other investigative agencies have become a normal thing in Jammu and Kashmir, "the whole country is tasting it now".
ED vs TMC LIVE: BJP youth wing protests against Bengal CM | Video
ED vs TMC LIVE: Mamata shares message for BJP - No govt, party or Home Minister gets to decide...'
"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," she wrote on X.
Banerjee also issued a message for the ruling party --- insisting that "respect was mutual".
"You respect us, we respect you. You drag us on the road, and we will drag you back to the constitutional idea of tolerance, dissent, and democratic morality. This is our India. We are citizens by right, not at the mercy of a chair, a badge, or a position of power. No government, no party, and no Home Minister gets to decide who deserves dignity in a democracy," she added.
ED vs TMC LIVE: Mamata Banerjee slams 'arrogance in uniform' after detention of TMC MPs
"I strongly condemn the shameful and unacceptable treatment meted out to our Members of Parliament. Dragging elected representatives on the streets for exercising their democratic right to protest outside the Home Minister’s office is not law enforcement - it is arrogance in uniform. This is a democracy, not the BJP’s private property," she wrote on X.
ED vs TMC LIVE: Visuals from Kolkata protest rally led by CM
ED vs TMC LIVE: Mamata Banerjee leads protest in Kolkata
West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Friday began leading a protest march against the Enforcement Directorate's searches at the residence and offices of I-PAC chief Pratik Jain. Banerjee was accompanied by senior party leaders, ministers, MPs, MLAs and a large number of supporters. The group chanted slogans against the BJP-led central government, accusing it of “misusing central agencies for political vendetta” ahead of the 2026 assembly elections.
BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal on Friday accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of "siding with the mafias" after the latter allegedly interfered with the Enforcement Directorate raid in Kolkata at the offices of political consultancy firm I-PAC in connection with the coal smuggling case.
Sanjay Jaiswal said that I-PAC is "a very controversial company" which works with "mafias to topple government." "When a raid takes place at someone's house, the Chief Minister herself goes there and steals the documents... I-PAC has been a very controversial company from the beginning... In Bihar too, I-PAC spent Rs 60 crore of its money on the Jan Suraaj Party... In Jharkhand, too, they hatched a similar conspiracy, and they succeeded in Jharkhand," Sanjay Jaiswal told ANI.
ED vs TMC LIVE: Congress says 'ED conducts raids to provide political benefits to BJP'
Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit alleged on Friday that the Enforcement Directorate was carrying out raids to give political benefit to the BJP, saying the agency has failed to "prove its cases".
He further said that the use of ED was "part of the politics" of the ruling BJP.
"ED has not been able to prove one case till now. The ED always conducts raids to provide political benefits to the BJP. This is all a part of the politics," he told ANI.
ED vs TMC LIVE: BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad says CM obstructing ED probe
“Reports suggest that the Chief Minister (Mamata Banerjee) , accompanied by the police commissioner, went to the site where the investigation was underway and threatened ED officials. Her actions are not only unethical, irresponsible, and unconstitutional, but have also brought shame to the entire democratic process," he said during a presser.
ED vs TMC LIVE: Mamata Banerjee to lead ally from 2:00 pm in Kolkata
The West Bengal Chief Minister is slated to lead a protest in Kolkata following the ED raids.
She has alleged that the central agency had seized party-related materials --- including hard disks, candidate lists and strategic documents --- ahead of the elections, and accused Amit Shah of misusing central agencies. Meanwhile the ED has accused Banerjee of entering the residential premises of IPAC director Prateek Jain during its search operation and taking away "key evidence" including physical documents and electronic devices.
ED vs TMC LIVE: Centre seeks detailed report from ED
The Union Home Ministry has sought a detailed report from the Enforcement Directorate on the sequence of events on January 8 in relation to the simultaneous raid and search operations by the central agency officials at the Kolkata office of the India Political Action Committee and the residence of I-PAC co-founder Pratik Jain.
ED vs TMC LIVE: Bengal Governor says Mamata Banerjee 'violated constitutional right to continue as CM'
West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose has flagged legal and constitutional repercussions for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's intervention during the Enforcement Directorate raid. He told ANI that her actions were punishable under law and violate constitutional rights.
ED vs TMC Live: TMC MP Mahua Moitra slams ‘information loot’ by probe agency
"You have seen how the government is using the ED as their agency to steal information, election strategy of their political opponents. ED was sent to the office of our political consultant for dacoity of information. They are talking about some 7-8 years old coal scam, you didn't get time to gather information in all these years. Mamata Banerjee showed how to fight against them. People of Bengal will teach them a lesson," she told PTI.
ED vs TMC Live: Heightened security at ED Kolkata office after I-PAC raid
Security has been tightened and additional officials deployed at the Enforcement Directorate office in Kolkata following the I-PAC raids.
ED vs TMC Live: ED seeks CBI probe against CM Mamata, top cops
The Enforcement Directorate has approached the Calcutta High Court seeking a CBI investigation into the role of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, senior police officials and others for allegedly obstructing its raids in Kolkata.
The writ petition reviewed by PTI indicated that the probe agency has also sought "immediate seizure, sealing, forensic preservation, and restoration to lawful custody of the ED" all digital devices, electronic records, storage media, and documents "illegally and forcibly" taken away from the search premises.
The high court is expected to hear the petition on Friday.
ED vs TMC Live: TMC moves Calcutta High Court
TMC has moved the Calcutta High Court seeking restraint on 'misuse, dissemination' of documents seized by ED during the I-PAC raids.
ED vs TMC Live: BJP delegation to meet West Bengal governor over ED row
According to an ANI update, a BJP delegation will meet West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose at 12.30 pm. The party is expected to submit a memorandum on the unfolding political situation.
"I have received petitions and representations from the public. Three legal points raised in those petitions are: number one, preventing a public servant from discharging his duties is a criminal offence...Secondly, intimidating or threatening a public servant in the discharge of his duties is a severe offence, which will attract a punishment of two years and a fine, or both," he told ANI upon being asked about the ED raid at the I-PAC office.
"The third is that this is an allegation given to me by the lawyers... The third point which they are raising is that a constitutional authority is supposed to protect the constitution. If such an authority disobeys the Constitution, that authority has no right to continue in that office... I do not want to risk a knee-jerk reaction now..." he added.
ED vs TMC Live: Abhishek Banerjee hits out at centre - 'Agencies weaponised, democracy punished'
TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee accused the Narendra Modi government of "weaponising agencies" to suppress democracy. He said that jailing protestors and granting bail to rapists was the BJP's version of new India.
"Democracy is punished. Criminals are rewarded. Agencies are weaponised. Elections are manipulated. JAIL the PROTESTERS. BAIL the RAPISTS. This is the BJP's version of New India," he wrote on X.
ED vs TMC LIVE: MPs detained while staging protest outside Amit Shah's office in Delhi
Trinamool Congress MPs staged a protest outside the Home Ministry's office in Delhi on Friday. They were agitating against alleged misuse of probe agencies by the Centre following Enforcement Directorate raids at the office of political consultancy I-PAC and the residence of its chief.
TMC leaders claimed they were forcefully evicted from their protest site and subsequently detained by the police. A police officer told PTI that TMC MPs Derek O'Brien and Mahua Moitra, along with other party leaders, were detained and taken to the Parliament Street Police Station.