West Bengal’s political landscape was thrown into turmoil on Thursday morning after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted a surprise raid at the residence of Pratik, the head of political consultancy firm I-PAC, on Loudon Street in Kolkata. Simultaneously, another ED team carried out a search at I-PAC’s office in Sector V, Salt Lake, escalating tensions between central agencies and the state government.
Following the searches, Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee moved swiftly, taking the unprecedented step of filing formal police complaints against the ED. Two separate cases were registered one at Shakespeare Sarani Police Station and another at Electronic Complex Police Station in Salt Lake naming unidentified officials of the ED and CRPF.
The complaints allege serious offences under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including unauthorized entry, seizure of property without consent (theft), intimidation, and criminal threats. Provisions of the Information Technology Act have also been invoked, adding another legal layer to the controversy.
After the cases were registered, the Kolkata Police launched a parallel investigation into the incident. On Friday, officers collected CCTV footage from Pratik’s residence to reconstruct the sequence of events. By Saturday, police began recording statements of witnesses who were present during the raid.
According to sources, statements have already been taken from security guards and domestic staff at the residence. Investigators are also examining records to identify which housing security personnel were on duty at the time. Police officials have not ruled out questioning members of Pratik’s family, if required, as part of the inquiry.
The ED raid and the Chief Minister’s sharp counteroffensive have once again brought the Centre vs State power struggle into sharp focus. While central agencies maintain that their actions are part of routine investigations, the ruling TMC has termed the raids “politically motivated intimidation”, aimed at destabilizing the state government.
As investigations by both the ED and the state police move forward, the incident threatens to deepen the political fault lines in Bengal, turning a law-enforcement action into a full-blown political confrontation.
