West Bengal showdown: Mamata Banerjee leads protest as ED raids IPAC, courtroom chaos erupts
Kolkata (The Uttam Hindu): After the raids by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in West Bengal, the political battle between the Central Government and Mamata Banerjee has now reached its peak. On Thursday, in connection with the investigation of coal scam and hawala racket, ED raided the premises of 'IPAC', the company handling the election work of Trinamool Congress (TMC). The matter became heated when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself reached the spot with full force after getting the news of the raid. ED has alleged that CM Mamata Banerjee influenced the investigation and took away some important files and electronic devices from both the places, which could have contained important evidence related to the scam.
Mamata Banerjee demonstrated her strength by staging a massive rally in Kolkata on Friday to protest this action. The Chief Minister personally led the protesters and launched a scathing attack on the BJP government at the center. She alleged that, as elections approach, the central government is misusing its agencies and conspiring to disrupt her election campaign in the name of corruption.
Unprecedented uproar in the High Court, judge forced to leave his chair
The street fight escalated to the Calcutta High Court on Friday, but what unfolded there stunned everyone. During the hearing of this high-profile case, a massive crowd gathered in the courtroom. There was so much noise and commotion between the lawyers and the parties that smooth conduct of the proceedings became impossible. The situation escalated to the point where Justice Suvra Ghosh walked out of the case midway, explaining that a fair hearing was impossible amid such chaos. Due to the weekend holidays, the next hearing will be held on Wednesday.
Why is there a 'dispute' over IPAC?
At the center of the controversy is the political consultancy firm IPAC and its head, Pratik Jain. This firm is preparing the assembly election strategy for the TMC. The ED claims that the firm received money through hawala. This suspicion led to raids at Pratik Jain's home and office. Meanwhile, the TMC has alleged that the ED's purpose is not to investigate, but to obtain information about their party's election strategies and steal the list of candidates. Currently, the ED has demanded a CBI investigation into allegations that the Chief Minister took evidence, further deepening the conflict.