Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], February 2 (HBTV): Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma has strongly criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for allegedly disrupting an Enforcement Directorate (ED) search operation at the offices of political consultancy firm I-PAC, demanding that an FIR be registered against her and calling for her arrest.
Speaking to the media, Sharma accused Banerjee of placing herself above constitutional institutions. “She wants to have control over the Constitution. She wants to be above all constitutional institutions. This is not acceptable. The Constitution is above all. Even if there are 100 Mamata Banerjees, institutions will not stop functioning. There should be an FIR against her, and she should be arrested,” he said.
Sharma further stated that there are established legal procedures to challenge or stop an investigation and questioned the Chief Minister’s alleged conduct during an ongoing probe. “There is a procedure to stop an investigation and a way to raise objections. But would you create such disruption during an official investigation?” he asked.
Meanwhile, several Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs were detained in New Delhi on Friday while protesting outside Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s office against the ED raids, alleging misuse of central agencies by the Centre. MPs including Derek O’Brien, Mahua Moitra, Satabdi Roy and Kirti Azad raised slogans before being detained by Delhi Police.
The controversy erupted after high political drama unfolded in West Bengal on Thursday when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited I-PAC offices while the ED was conducting searches in connection with the coal smuggling case. Banerjee alleged that the ED seized party-related materials such as hard disks, candidate lists and strategic documents, accusing Union Home Minister Amit Shah of misusing central agencies.
Questioning the ED’s actions, Banerjee said, “Is it the duty of the ED or Amit Shah to collect the party’s hard disk and candidate list?” She claimed that data and documents belonging to the Trinamool Congress were taken during the raid and termed the action a “crime.”
She asserted that I-PAC was not a private organisation but an authorised team working for the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), and alleged that sensitive data, including information related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, was confiscated.
Countering these allegations, the ED accused Banerjee of entering the residential premises of I-PAC director Prateek Jain during the search and removing key evidence, including physical documents and electronic devices. In a statement, the agency said the operation was conducted peacefully until Banerjee, accompanied by police officials, arrived and allegedly obstructed the investigation.
The ED maintained that the searches were evidence-based, conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and were not linked to any elections or political targeting. It stated that the action was part of a broader probe into coal smuggling proceeds, hawala operators and related entities, covering multiple premises in West Bengal and Delhi. (ANI)