In an unprecedented move, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday lodged two First Information Reports (FIRs) against "unidentified" officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED). This action came a day after a tense standoff during the central agency's raid at the office of Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) in Kolkata on Thursday.
FIRs Lodged and a Defiant March
The Chief Minister, who also chairs the Trinamool Congress (TMC), led a massive 6-kilometer-long protest march in Kolkata on Friday. The march commenced from Jadavpur and concluded at Hazra crossing, where she addressed a rally. Banerjee asserted that her actions were in her capacity as the TMC chairperson and were a form of self-defence. "What I did was in the capacity of TMC chairperson. I did nothing wrong. If you come to kill me, I have every right to defend myself," she declared.
The first FIR was registered at Shakespeare Sarani police station based on a complaint emailed by Banerjee on Thursday night. It invokes sections 303, 332, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with section 66 of the Information Technology Act. The charges include theft, criminal trespass, criminal intimidation, and tampering with electronic data. A second FIR was filed at the Electronic Complex police station in Salt Lake's Sector V.
"An Injured Tiger is More Dangerous"
During her fiery speech, Banerjee issued a stark warning to her detractors, drawing an analogy from the wild. "An injured tiger is more dangerous than a healthy one," she thundered. She claimed the ED's actions had only strengthened her resolve, stating, "They awakened me through this attack. I feel rejuvenated after yesterday's incident."
She questioned the motive behind the ED raid on I-PAC, a political consultancy that has worked with various parties across the spectrum. "Why did you come like a thief? You came to steal information," she alleged. Banerjee pointed out that I-PAC had previously worked with the BJP, Chandrababu Naidu, Jagan Reddy, and Nitish Kumar, questioning why it was being targeted now.
Allegations of Political Vendetta and Coal Scam Links
The Chief Minister linked the raids to the coal smuggling scam and made serious allegations against top BJP leaders. She claimed that Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari were connected to the scam. "The money reaches Suvendu Adhikari via Jagannath and then goes to Shah through Adhikari," she alleged.
Issuing a veiled threat, Banerjee said she was holding back evidence. "You are lucky I have not released any pen drives yet. If you cross limits, I will expose you... I know many things, but I keep silent for the sake of the country. If I speak, there will be uproar worldwide," she warned.
This dramatic escalation marks a significant moment in the ongoing political tussle between the TMC government in West Bengal and the central agencies. With the state heading for assembly elections, the filing of FIRs by a sitting Chief Minister against a central probe agency is a rare and confrontational step, setting the stage for a fierce legal and political battle.
