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The I-PAC raid standoff is the latest example of the long-running standoff between the West Bengal government and central investigating agencies.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee outside the residence of Prateek Jain. (PTI)
For over a decade, West Bengal has witnessed repeated clashes between the state government and central agencies, primarily the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Conflicts have included corruption investigations, law-and-order disputes, court-monitored investigations, and sometimes allegations that state police protected individuals facing federal investigation.
Each episode followed its own set of facts, but together they create a clear pattern of distrust and procedural disagreements between Kolkata and Delhi.
I-PAC raid
The latest example of this came to light on Thursday, when ED searched At two locations linked to I-PAC in Kolkata, including the residence of the firm’s chief Prateek Jain. I-PAC provides political consultancy to Trinamool Congress and manages the party’s data, IT and communications operations, making the raids sensitive ahead of elections.
During the search, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the I-PAC office and accused the agency of attempting to seize internal party documents, hard disks and digital materials related to TMC’s election strategy.
“They have raided the residence of our IT chief. They were seizing my party’s documents and hard disks, which contain details about our candidates for the assembly elections. I have brought them back,” PTI news agency quoted Mamata Banerjee as saying.
He described this action as politically motivated and publicly questioned the role of ED and the Union Home Minister. “Is it the duty of ED, Amit Shah to collect the party’s hard disk, list of candidates? The obnoxious, mischievous Home Minister who cannot protect the country and is snatching all the documents of my party. What will be the result if I raid the BJP party office?” He said.
The ED, in turn, alleged obstruction and claimed that its officials were prevented from removing devices that they had legally tagged for seizure. I-PAC challenged the legality of the search in court, arguing that the warrant did not authorize the seizure of certain devices.
Banerjee also linked the raids to the ongoing Special Intensive Vetting (SIR) exercise in the state, and alleged that names of voters were being removed ahead of the elections.
The dramatic sequence evoked memories of earlier Bengal flashpoints, especially the 2019 Rajiv Kumar-CBI standoff, when another central operation had turned into an institutional confrontation.
How did the conflict first come into national focus?
The turning point came in early February 2019, when a CBI team arrived at the residence of then Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar (now DGP) to interrogate him in connection with the Saradha and Rose Valley ponzi scam investigations.
The agency believes that Kumar, who headed the Special Investigation Team that initially probed the scam before the case was transferred to the CBI by the Supreme Court, had handled crucial evidence.
When the officers reached his house, the local police stopped them. The CBI team was taken to the nearest police station for identity verification, their entry was stopped and additional state police personnel were deployed. CBI said it was prevented from conducting a legitimate investigation; The state insisted that the agency had not provided proper information.
The standoff quickly escalated when senior Kolkata Police officials arrived at the scene and CBI’s efforts to restart the interrogation were halted.
Within hours, CM Banerjee started a dharna on Kolkata’s metro channel, accusing the Center of trying to destabilize the elected government. The confrontation made national headlines because it was highly unusual: a state police force physically prevented a central agency from acting on an investigative move under the supervision of the courts.
This episode set the tone for future conflicts.
Narada arrests, 2021
The next major confrontation came in May 2021, when the CBI arrested four key figures in the Narada sting case: senior TMC leaders Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee, veteran MLA Madan Mitra and former Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee.
The case stems from journalist Matthew Samuel’s 2014 undercover operation, in which hidden camera footage showed politicians accepting cash for trading profits from representatives of a fictitious company. The videos were released in 2016 and the Calcutta High Court later directed the CBI to investigate the case.
On the day of the arrest, a large crowd gathered outside the agency’s Kolkata office, Nizam Palace, blocking entry points and deploying CISF to secure the premises. The Chief Minister arrived soon after, stayed inside for several hours and accused the agency of acting with political intentions so soon after the state elections.
The atmosphere in the CBI office led to an urgent hearing in the Calcutta High Court, which later transferred the case to a larger bench.
These incidents have again brought the dynamics between central agencies and the state administration into the spotlight.
bengal ssc recruitment scam
The longest-running phase of friction began with the School Service Commission recruitment inquiry, which expanded rapidly from 2022. The case arose out of allegations that appointments in government-aided schools were manipulated through bribery, altered merit lists and irregular recommendations, affecting posts ranging from assistant teachers to Group C and Group D employees.
Acting on petitions highlighting discrepancies in the recruitment lists, the Calcutta High Court ordered a CBI probe. The agency searched the offices of SSC and School Education Department, seized appointment files and interrogated members of the selection panel. As irregularities came to light, the investigation expanded to political figures.
In 2022 and 2023, houses of current and former MLAs were searched, documents were seized and senior officials, including the former chairman of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education, were arrested.
ED joined the inquiry after suspected money-laundering links came to light. It investigated financial transactions, interrogated persons accused of acting as intermediaries and issued summons to ministers and MLAs. The protracted nature of the investigation, coupled with repeated raids and court hearings, deepened political friction. The state accused central agencies of selective action, while the agencies maintained that they were clearly working under the supervision of the High Court.
By 2025, the SSC investigation had become one of the largest corruption-related investigations in the state.
message empty event
The Sandeshkhali violence in January 2024 became one of the most serious operational clashes between central investigators and local networks. The ED had traveled to the area of ​​North 24 Parganas to interrogate persons linked to alleged irregularities in the public distribution system. The team visited premises linked to local strongman Sheikh Shahjahan, who had come under scrutiny after earlier raids pointed to possible financial transactions involving his associates.
The situation deteriorated within minutes after the officers arrived. A crowd gathered and stopped the ED vehicles and started pelting stones. The team was chased, equipment and documents confiscated and vehicles vandalized. Several officers were injured and were forced to retreat. Injuries and disruptions were recorded in the FIR lodged by the local police, but the ED later pointed out inconsistencies and argued that the police response was inadequate.
The case went to the Calcutta High Court, which questioned the lapses and transferred the investigation to the CBI. The agency reportedly arrested persons linked to the attack, interrogated local authorities about crowd mobilization and investigated whether the ED had adequate security despite prior information. The state police later arrested Sheikh Shahjahan after weeks of manhunt, and he was produced before the agencies investigating both the ration case and the attack.
The incident has raised deep questions about the challenges faced by central agencies in politically sensitive areas and whether state-level administrative structures can adequately support such operations.
January 09, 2026, 15:40 IST
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