In a dramatic escalation of political tensions, several Trinamool Congress (TMC) Members of Parliament were detained by police on Friday after staging a protest outside the office of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The protest was against the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) raids on the offices and residence of Pratik Jain, the chief of the political consultancy Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), which is closely associated with the TMC.
Protest and Detentions at Parliament
The incident unfolded on the morning of January 9, 2026. A group of TMC MPs, led by Derek O'Brien and Mahua Moitra, gathered to voice their strong opposition to the ED's actions. According to reports, the protesting MPs were physically dragged away from the protest site outside Amit Shah's office. They were subsequently taken to the Parliament Street police station.
The list of detained parliamentarians includes prominent names such as Derek O'Brien, Mahua Moitra, Satabdi Roy, Bapi Haldar, Saket Gokhale, Pratima Mondal, Kirti Azad, and Sharmila Sarkar. The visuals of the scuffle and detentions quickly spread across social media platforms, highlighting the intense confrontation.
Mamata Banerjee's Allegations and ED's Kolkata Raids
The root of the protest lies in the searches conducted by the Enforcement Directorate in Kolkata. The federal agency raided the residence of I-PAC chief Pratik Jain and the organisation's office in the city. Reacting sharply, West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee accused the ED of overstepping its mandate.
Banerjee alleged that the raids were not a genuine probe but a deliberate attempt to seize the Trinamool Congress's internal data and election strategy. She framed the action as a politically motivated move by the central government to undermine her party ahead of crucial electoral battles. I-PAC has been a key strategist for the TMC in past state elections, making its data a sensitive asset.
Political Fallout and Wider Implications
This incident marks a significant flashpoint in the ongoing tussle between the ruling party at the Centre and the Trinamool Congress. The detention of sitting MPs right within the precincts of Parliament has raised serious questions about the space for political protest. The TMC has positioned itself as a victim of agency misuse, a narrative it hopes to leverage for political consolidation in West Bengal.
Conversely, the Enforcement Directorate is likely to maintain that its actions are part of a legitimate investigation, though the specific grounds for the raid on I-PAC have not been publicly detailed. The event sets the stage for a fiercer political duel, with both sides digging in their heels. The aftermath will be closely watched, as it could influence both parliamentary discourse and the political climate in Bengal.
The situation remains fluid, with the detained MPs expected to be released after due legal procedure. However, the political reverberations of this clash between the TMC and central agencies are sure to echo for a long time.
