Kolkata, Dec 8 (PTI) The Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, on Thursday demanded strong legal action against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for allegedly interfering in the job of the Enforcement Directorate, which is probing a case of money laundering by a coal smuggling syndicate of West Bengal.

The BJP's Bengal unit, responding to Banerjee's statements made while she turned up at multiple locations during the ongoing search operations by the Enforcement Directorate, stated that attempts to politicise a lawful investigative process or to undermine constitutional authorities only weakens public trust in institutions and the rule of law.

Adhikari was speaking in reference to Banerjee dramatically turning up at the residence of I-PAC chief Pratik Jain and later at the main office of the TMC's poll advisor in Salt Lake amid an ongoing ED search, alleging that the central agency was attempting to seize the TMC's internal documents, hard disks and sensitive digital data linked to the party's strategy for the upcoming state elections.

Banerjee was seen coming out with paper documents and electronic data, including hard disks and a laptop, from Jain's residence when the agency search operations were taking place. Officials were also seen transferring documents in the CM's vehicle during the raids at the I-PAC office in Salt Lake.

"I am not privy to the investigation details that prompted the ongoing ED raids. But I can tell you this is not the first time that Mamata Banerjee has made direct interference in the job of a central investigating agency. She has done that before at the CBI office at Nizam Palace and during the agency's raids at the former Kolkata CP Rajeev Kumar's residence. She has made this practice, which is both illegal and unconstitutional, into a habit," Adhikari said.

"I would urge the law enforcement agencies to take strong legal action against the chief minister, else this would set a wrong precedent and give out the wrong message to the people of the state," he added.

In May, 2021, Banerjee held a sit-in before the CBI office at Nizam Palace, protesting the arrest of two TMC ministers Subrata Mukherjee, Firhad Hakim and MLA Madan Mitra along with ex-Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee, after the four were arrested by the agency in connection with the alleged scam exposed by an online sting operation of Narada news outlet.

In February, 2019, Banerjee went on an indefinite sit-in in front of the Metro Channel at Esplanade in central Kolkata, after CBI officials tried to enter the Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar’s official residence to allegedly question him in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam.

The operation had met with an unprecedented confrontation between the CBI officers and the Kolkata Police, with the latter rounding up eight agency officials and forcibly removing them to the nearby Shakespeare Sarani police station.

The BJP Bengal unit based its statement on information officially put out by the ED.

"According to the ED, the searches are evidence-based and are being carried out in connection with the illegal coal smuggling case... As per the agency, the premises being covered are linked to the generation of illegal cash, hawala transactions, and other proceeds of crime arising from the said case.

"The ED has further clarified that no office of a political party has been searched as part of this action. The agency also stated that the searches have no linkage with any election and are part of its routine and continuing crackdown on money laundering," the party statement said.

The party stated that law enforcement agencies must be allowed to function independently, professionally, and without political interference.

"The law must be permitted to take its own course, guided solely by facts and evidence," it said. PTI AMR SMY RG

Mamata Banerjee allegedly interfered in ED money laundering probes; opposition demands strong legal action to protect investigative independence. Allegations focus on interference in the job of a central investigating agency during ED searches in a money laundering probe; the opposition seeks legal action against the Chief Minister for attending raids and removing documents and electronic media, asserting such conduct undermines investigative independence. The ED maintains searches are evidence based, target proceeds of crime linked to coal smuggling and hawala transactions, deny searches of party offices, and assert no electoral linkage.