What began as a peaceful protest by Trinamool Congress MPs outside Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s office on Friday quickly turned chaotic as Delhi Police moved in to disperse the demonstrators, detaining several lawmakers in the process. The protest was called in response to Enforcement Directorate raids at the Kolkata offices of political consultancy firm I-PAC and the residence of its director, Pratik Jain, which the TMC has slammed as political vendetta ahead of the West Bengal elections.
Senior TMC figures including Mahua Moitra, Derek O’Brien, Satabdi Roy, Kirti Azad and others gathered outside Kartavya Bhawan in central Delhi, shouting slogans and holding placards accusing the Centre of misusing central agencies like the ED to intimidate opposition parties. Within minutes, visuals from the site showed police lifting and escorting the MPs into vans, much to the fury of the party leaders.
“You are seeing what is happening to elected MPs here,” Derek O’Brien said as he was detained, his voice rising over the crowd’s chants. Mahua Moitra later accused the government of weaponising constitutional bodies, saying the ED had been sent to “steal our party’s political and strategic information.”
The confrontation underscores growing tensions between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP-led government at the Centre. The I-PAC raids in Kolkata on Thursday triggered sharp exchanges, with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accusing the ED of confiscating sensitive TMC documents and strategy files related to electoral preparations. She has since called a protest rally in Kolkata for later on Friday.
Delhi Police said the protest was not permitted near the Home Ministry building due to security considerations, and MPs were asked to disperse before action was taken. Party sources said the protest began peacefully with placards and slogans but escalated when officers attempted to remove the demonstrators.
Trinamool supporters took to social media to decry what they called “assault” on their MPs and a sign of democratic suppression. “First the shameless misuse of ED, now an attack on peaceful protest,” the party wrote on X, accusing Amit Shah of arrogance and calling the action a bid to silence dissent.
With West Bengal’s crucial polls approaching by April, the political standoff shows no sign of abating. TMC leaders have vowed further protests, and attention now turns to how both sides navigate the heightened tension between state and central authorities in the weeks ahead.