West Bengal: BJP Mahila Morcha holds protest against CM Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], January 9 (ANI): Bhartiya Janata Party (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.
Notably, Banerjee, in a sharp attack at Shah, stated to the reporters, "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."
Issuing a direct challenge to the BJP and Shah, the Chief Minister dared him to come to West Bengal and fight her democratically.
"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," she said.
Banerjee asserted that I-PAC was not a private organisation, but an authorised team working for the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC). She alleged that the ED had confiscated sensitive documents, including data linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Countering the Chief Minister's allegations, the ED accused Mamata Banerjee of entering the residential premises of Prateek Jain, director of I-PAC, during the ongoing search operation and taking away "key evidence", including physical documents and electronic devices.
"Banerjee entered the residential premises of Prateek Jain and took away key evidence, including physical documents and electronic devices," the ED said, adding that her convoy then proceeded to I-PAC's office, from where "Ms Banerjee, her aides and the state police personnel forcibly removed physical documents and electronic evidence."
Clarifying its position, the ED said, "The search is evidence-based and is not targeted at any political establishment. No party office has been searched. The search is not linked to any elections and is part of a regular crackdown on money laundering. The search is conducted strictly in accordance with established legal safeguards." It added that persons linked to the generation of coal smuggling proceeds, hawala operators and handlers were covered in the PMLA searches conducted on January 8, 2026. (ANI)