Raids, arrests & green file: Why I-PAC is in political crosshairs in Mamata's West Bengal

Mamata Banerjee led a protest rally in Kolkata against the ED action, signaling the political stakes surrounding the raids.

Banerjee accused central agencies of targeting her party and challenged the BJP to fight democratically, stating that sensitive party material including hard disks, candidate lists and strategy documents were seized.

The ED stated Banerjee's actions caused obstruction in proceedings conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

During the ED raid, Mamata Banerjee arrived at the residence of I-PAC co-founder Pratik Jain and allegedly removed physical documents and electronic evidence; she later went to the I-PAC office in Salt Lake. Visuals of the 'green file' sparked controversy.

The Enforcement Directorate carried out searches at multiple locations, including Kolkata and Delhi, as part of the probe into alleged financial irregularities linked to I-PAC.

I-PAC, founded by Prashant Kishor, has been closely associated with the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and has played a key role in election strategy; Kishor exited I-PAC in 2021 and later launched Jan Suraaj.

The ED summoned director Rishi Raj Singh for questioning and continued scrutiny of co-founder Pratik Jain, including summons to Jain's wife and brother as investigators examine business links.

The ED arrested I-PAC co-founder Vinesh Chandel in connection with the money-laundering probe; he was produced before a Delhi court, which observed that statutory requirements under PMLA were complied with and that relevant documents and grounds of arrest were provided.

The investigation is rooted in a 2020 CBI case related to a coal smuggling syndicate led by Anup Majhi alias Lala; the ED alleges proceeds were routed through hawala to Indian PAC Consulting Pvt Ltd, the registered entity of I-PAC.