TMC MPs Detained in Delhi While Protesting ED Raid on I-PAC

Several Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs were detained in Delhi on Friday after staging a protest outside the office of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, opposing the Enforcement Directorate’s raid on the Kolkata office of political consultancy firm I-PAC.

The protest was led by senior TMC MPs, including Derek O'Brien, Mahua Moitra, Satabdi Roy and Kirti Azad. Raising slogans against the Centre, the MPs accused the BJP-led government of misusing central probe agencies to target political opponents.

As the demonstration intensified, Delhi Police moved in and detained several MPs, lifting them from the protest site and taking them away in police vans. During the detention, Derek O’Brien remarked, “You are seeing what is happening to the MPs here.” Mahua Moitra, while being taken away, said, “We will defeat the BJP. The country is seeing how the Delhi Police is treating an elected MP.”

Reacting to the ED raid, Satabdi Roy alleged that central agencies are routinely deployed during elections to influence outcomes. “They remember everything during elections. ED and CBI are sent only to win polls, but they won’t succeed,” she said. Kirti Azad echoed similar views, calling the raid “undemocratic” and adding, “The BJP will not win elections in this manner.”

The protest followed allegations by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that the ED overstepped its mandate during searches at I-PAC offices linked to a coal smuggling case. Banerjee claimed that party-related materials, including hard disks, candidate lists and strategy documents, were seized during the operation.

Speaking to reporters, Banerjee said, “Is it the duty of the ED and Amit Shah to collect party hard disks and candidate lists? The Home Minister, who cannot protect the country, is taking away my party documents.” Challenging Shah directly, she added, “If Amit Shah wants Bengal, let him come and fight democratically. What happened was a crime. They arrived early morning and seized party data, laptops, strategies and phones.”

Banerjee also asserted that I-PAC was an authorised team working for the All India Trinamool Congress and alleged that documents related to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls were taken.

The Enforcement Directorate, however, rejected these allegations. In a statement, the agency accused Mamata Banerjee of entering the residence of I-PAC director Prateek Jain during the search and removing “key evidence,” including documents and electronic devices. The ED further claimed that Banerjee, along with her aides and state police personnel, later went to the I-PAC office and forcibly removed evidence.

Clarifying its stand, the ED said the searches were evidence-based and not aimed at any political party or election. “No party office has been searched. The action is part of a regular investigation into money laundering linked to coal smuggling,” the agency said, adding that the raids were conducted under legal procedures.

Also Read: High Drama Over ED Raid: Mamata Banerjee Reached Spot, Says BJP Stealing TMC Strategy