KOLKATA — West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee on Friday filed multiple complaints against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over the agency’s raids at the office of political consultancy firm I-PAC and the residence of its chief, Prateek Jain.
Acting on the complaints, the Kolkata Police and Bidhannagar Police registered FIRs and began investigations, a senior police officer said, reports PTI.
The move, along with the Trinamool Congress approaching the Calcutta High Court against the ED, is seen as escalating the standoff between the state government and the central agency. The confrontation intensified after dramatic scenes on Thursday, when Banerjee visited the raid locations and the ED later alleged that “key documents” and electronic devices were removed from the premises.
Banerjee lodged complaints at the Shakespeare Sarani Police Station against unidentified ED officials and CRPF personnel in connection with raids at Jain’s Loudon Street residence. A separate complaint was filed at the Electronic Complex Police Station under Bidhannagar Police jurisdiction over the search at Jain’s Salt Lake office.
Based on the complaint at Shakespeare Sarani, police registered cases under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to criminal intimidation, theft and criminal trespass, along with Section 66 of the Information Technology Act, which deals with computer-related offences such as unauthorised access and data damage.
In addition, the police registered a suo motu case at the same police station late on Thursday night. Shibaditya Pal, additional officer-in-charge of Shakespeare Sarani Police Station, has been appointed to lead the probe. A similar case has also been registered at the Electronic Complex Police Station in Salt Lake.
On Friday, the TMC moved the Calcutta High Court seeking restrictions on the “misuse and dissemination” of documents seized during the ED’s search operations. In its petition, the ruling party alleged that the agency confiscated sensitive and confidential political data meant for the party’s use in the forthcoming Assembly elections, terming the action “arbitrary, mala fide and a colourable exercise of power”.
The ED, however, said the searches were conducted as part of a money laundering investigation linked to an alleged multi-crore coal pilferage scam. The agency accused the chief minister and state police of obstructing a lawful investigation and claimed that crucial evidence was forcibly taken away during the raids.
The central agency has also approached the Calcutta High Court, alleging interference in its probe and seeking transfer of the investigation into Thursday’s incidents to the CBI. — With inputs from PTI
