Eight TMC MPs were detained by Delhi Police during a protest against ED raids on I-PAC, with the party alleging their “peaceful dharna” was “assaulted”.
The ED rejected the allegations, accusing Banerjee of interfering in the search and removing “key evidence”, and said the raids were evidence-based and apolitical.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Friday alleged that its MPs protesting outside Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s office in Delhi were “assaulted” by the Delhi Police. The party said the “peaceful dharna of our eight MPs” was “attacked”. The detained MPs were taken to Parliament Street police station, news agency ANI reported.
The protest happened in reaction to the Thursday ED searches at the premises of political consultancy firm I-PAC and its director, Pratik Jain, in Kolkata as part of a money laundering investigation.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee allegedly intervened during the ED raid at I-PAC’s offices in connection with the coal smuggling case. She asserted that I-PAC was not a private organisation but an authorised team working for the AITC.
Eight TMC MPs staged a protest outside Amit Shah’s office in Delhi, holding placards that read "Bengal rejects Modi-Shah’s dirty politics."
The MPs who sat on dharna were Derek O’Brien, Satabdi Roy, Mahua Moitra, Bapi Haldar, Saket Gokhale, Pratima Mondal, Kirti Azad and Sharmila Sarkar.
During the protest, Delhi Police detained Derek O’Brien, Mahua Moitra and others, lifting them and dragging them to a police van. The demonstration was held ahead of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s protest rally in Kolkata over the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) raids at the office of political consultancy firm I-PAC.
The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) alleged that Delhi Police officials "assaulted" the MPs and released photographs to support its claim. The party posted on X, "What kind of arrogance is this,@AmitShah?"
"Admit it, YOU ARE RATTLED!," the party wrote in another post. It added, "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."
"Are you now using your Delhi Police to assault elected representatives just to crush democracy? Is this how dissent is silenced in your India?," the party statement further read.
As he was dragged by police personnel, Derek O’Brien was quoted by PTI as saying, "You are seeing what is happening to the MPs here," while Mahua Moitra, who was lifted from the protest site, reportedly said, "We will defeat the BJP. The country is seeing how the Delhi Police is treating an elected MP."
Protesting against the ED raids, TMC MP Satabdi Roy alleged that central investigative agencies were deployed during elections to influence outcomes.
"They sent the team of ED yesterday, and they remember everything during the time of elections. They send the teams of ED, CBI during the elections just to win, but they won't win the election," he was quoted by PTI as saying.
TMC MP Kirti Azad said, "The ED conducted the raids in the wrong way, and this is an attempt to win the elections in an undemocratic manner. The BJP will not win the elections in this manner."
After Thursday's raids, Banerjee alleged that the central agency had seized party-related materials, including hard disks, candidate lists and strategic documents, and accused Amit Shah of misusing central agencies. She also claimed that the ED had confiscated sensitive documents, including data linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
"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," Banerjee said.
Issuing a direct challenge to the BJP and Shah, she reportedly 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 also announced that she would lead a protest rally in Kolkata on Friday.
The Enforcement Directorate rejected Banerjee’s allegations and accused her of entering the residential premises of Jain 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 was quoted by PTI as saying.
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 individuals linked to the generation of coal smuggling proceeds, hawala operators and handlers were covered in the PMLA searches conducted on January 8, 2026.
(with inputs from mint)
