I-PAC row: Mamata hits streets, leads protest march in Kolkata against ED action

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Friday began leading a protest march against the Enforcement Directorate’s searches at the residence and offices of I-PAC chief Pratik Jain.

Accompanied by senior party leaders, ministers, MPs, MLAs and a large number of supporters, Banerjee started the march from the 8B Bus Stand area, amid sloganeering against the BJP-led central government, accusing it of “misusing central agencies for political vendetta” ahead of the 2026 assembly elections.

The rally, which is proceeding towards Hazra More, follows Banerjee’s dramatic visit on Thursday to Jain’s Loudon Street residence during a search operation by the ED.

The chief minister had alleged that the agency was attempting to seize the Trinamool Congress’ internal documents, hard disks and confidential organisational data unrelated to any financial investigation.