On Thursday, 8 January 2026, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) alleged that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the Kolkata Police Commissioner “forcibly removed” vital evidence during money laundering raids.
The searches were targeting the residence of I-PAC director Pratik Jain and the firm’s Salt Lake office in connection with a multi-crore coal smuggling syndicate.
According to the federal agency, the Chief Minister’s intervention resulted in the loss of physical documents and electronic devices, leading to a significant “obstruction” of justice under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Both the ED and I-PAC have now moved the Calcutta High Court as the legal and political showdown intensifies.
Coal Smuggling Links?
The case originates from a 2020 CBI investigation into an illegal coal mining network allegedly operated by Anup Majhi, alias “Lala.” The ED claims that this syndicate systematically excavated coal from the Eastern Coalfield leasehold areas in Paschim Bardhaman, laundering the proceeds through various channels.
Specifically, the agency alleges that a hawala operator linked to the smuggling ring facilitated the transfer of tens of crores of rupees to the Indian PAC Consulting Pvt Ltd, the registered company of the political consultancy I-PAC. The ED maintains that the firm is one of several entities linked to the illegal hawala money trail used to fund political activities.
Alleged Obstruction
The ED’s statement describes a chaotic scene where professional proceedings were reportedly disrupted by the arrival of the Chief Minister and a large contingent of state police.
The agency alleges that Mamata Banerjee entered Pratik Jain’s residence, Jain being the co-founder of I-PAC and a key figure in the Trinamool Congress’s IT cell, and personally took away “key” evidence.
The agency further accused her of proceeding to the Salt Lake office to repeat the action. While the ED clarified that the search was “evidence-based” and not “targeted at any political establishment,” the Chief Minister has framed the raids as a “nasty” attempt by the Centre to seize sensitive party strategy documents ahead of the elections.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
At The Logical Indian, we believe that the sanctity of an independent investigation is essential for the health of our democracy.
When high-ranking constitutional authorities are accused of physically interfering with a federal probe, it raises serious questions about the breakdown of institutional respect between the State and the Centre.
Conversely, the frequent use of central agencies against political opponents often leads to a perception of “vendetta politics,” which erodes public faith in the law. Both state sovereignty and federal authority must coexist within a framework of legal safeguards.
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