January 08,2026
Kamal Kumar Biswas.TOD.Balurghat
In a fiery display of political dissent Thursday afternoon, hundreds of Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers and supporters took to the streets of Balurghat to protest against the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) raids on the I-PAC office and the residence of its co-founder, Pratik Jain, in Kolkata.The demonstration, which began at the Balurghat High School Maidan, was led by Town TMC president Subhash Chaki and saw active participation from both the party’s youth and women’s wings. Chanting slogans against what they termed a “politically motivated crackdown,” the marchers demanded an end to what they described as misuse of central investigative agencies to intimidate opposition allies.
“We oppose this blatant attempt to tarnish democratic dissent and target those assisting democratic mobilisation,” said Pritam Ram Mandal, district vice president of TMC, at the rally.
The protest follows dramatic developments in Kolkata earlier in the day, where the ED launched coordinated raids on the I-PAC office in Salt Lake Sector V and the Loudon Street residence of Pratik Jain, a key strategist associated with the TMC’s election campaigns. The agency is reportedly probing alleged irregularities linked to a multi-crore coal smuggling and money-laundering case .West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee personally arrived at Jain’s residence amid the raids, at one point emerging holding a file, she said contained crucial party data. Banerjee vehemently accused the central government and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of attempting to “seize internal party documents ahead of crucial state elections” and described the action as political targeting rather than legitimate investigation.
Heightened security was visible around the I-PAC office, where senior police officials, including the city Police Commissioner and Director General of Police, were present as tensions simmered. Following the day’s events, TMC sources announced plans for broader protest marches across multiple wards beginning Thursday evening, rallying party cadres and supporters in opposition to the ED action.The developments come as West Bengal gears up for the 2026 Assembly elections, and critics of the state government argue the ED operations could have significant political implications in the run-up to the polls.
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