I-PAC Says ED's Searches of Its Kolkata Office, Director's Home ‘Raise Serious Concerns’ |
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New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED)’s raid of its Kolkata office and the home of its director Pratik Jain the city on Thursday in connection with an alleged coal smuggling and money laundering case “raises serious concerns and sets an unsettling precedent”, the I-PAC political consultancy firm said on Friday (January 9).
I-PAC, which did not elaborate, added that it is cooperating with the investigation in compliance with the law and that it would continue its work “unfazed and unperturbed”.
Dramatic scenes unfolded at I-PAC’s Kolkata office and Jain’s home on Thursday as West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee visited both locations amid the ED’s searches. She was seen emerging from the latter carrying a green folder with documents inside. Police personnel were also seen carrying several files from I-PAC’s office and placing them in a car.
Banerjee, whose Trinamool Congress (TMC) and state government I-PAC has closely worked with since 2019, has alleged that ED personnel and Union home minister Amit Shah were “stealing” and “taking away” her party’s internal documents. The investigation agency has denied targeting any party or that its searches are linked to an election.
I-PAC said in its statement that it has worked “in a professional advisory capacity” with political parties across ideological lines and that it neither........