The usual weekday bustle of Kolkata's Sector V, home to the Godrej Waterside tech hub, was thrown into chaos on Thursday. The predictable rhythm of IT employees heading for lunch and cabs queuing up was shattered as thousands of Trinamool Congress supporters, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, descended on the area. Their target was the office of the political consultancy I-PAC, where a team from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was conducting a search operation.
The Quiet Morning Raid and the Afternoon Storm
The central agency's operation began discreetly in the early hours. A little after 6 am, ED officials entered the Godrej Waterside building, which also houses major firms like KPMG and Godrej Properties. At that hour, only two I-PAC employees were present inside. Early-rising tech professionals, sipping tea outside, noticed a government vehicle but assumed it was a routine check, a common sight in an area known for raids on fraudulent call centers.
The mood shifted dramatically after noon. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was at the residence of I-PAC director Pratik Jain on Loudon Street, announced her intention to visit the Sector V office. She arrived at Godrej Waterside around 12.40 pm, entering via the basement and proceeding directly to the 10th-floor office.
A Tech Hub Transformed into a Political Arena
Banerjee's arrival acted as a catalyst. Senior Trinamool leaders, including Bidhannagar mayor Krishna Chakraborty and minister Sujit Bose, had already gathered. Soon, hundreds, and then thousands, of party workers flooded the area. Police were forced to close one flank of the Sector V road, allowing only one-way traffic.
The scene was unprecedented for the orderly tech park. Office-goers found themselves trapped by human chains of slogan-shouting supporters and police barricades. "As I stepped out for lunch I found party workers and police thronging the area. Shortly, I realised the CM was inside our building," recounted one IT professional. The congestion made crossing roads or accessing parking nearly impossible, with one employee lamenting he couldn't even park his bike in the basement due to heightened security.
Banerjee's Stand and the ED's Exit
The Chief Minister remained inside the building for nearly three-and-a-half hours. Addressing media and supporters, she launched a fierce attack on the ED, accusing it of acting with political motives. She framed the search as a "larger threat" and an "insult and threat to the entire IT industry," questioning if central agencies could freely "attack an IT office and take away information." At times, the slogans grew so loud that she had to calm the crowd herself.
Party insiders revealed that every local councillor had mobilized at least 300 supporters, a force that overwhelmed the tech hub. The event was broadcast live on social media by party workers. The ED officials finally concluded their search and left the premises around 6.30 pm, exiting to a chorus of loud slogans accusing the agency of a political vendetta against the state of Bengal.
The day marked a significant escalation in the ongoing tensions between the Trinamool Congress-led state government and central investigative agencies, playing out not in a political office but in the heart of Kolkata's premier technology district.
