A week after being roughed up, ED teams strike at Trinamool leaders’ premises

Kolkata: A week after its team faced an assault in West Bengal’s Sandeshkhali, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) conducted raids on Friday at the residences of prominent Trinamool leaders – Sujit Bose, Bengal’s fire and emergency services minister, and veteran leader and MLA Tapas Roy.

The agency also reached out to a third leader, a former chairman of a municipality. The raids are linked to investigations into irregularities in municipal recruitment.

On January 5, a team of ED officials was assaulted in south Bengal during a raid at a regional Trinamool leader's residence. Allegedly, the leader's supporters ransacked vehicles, leaving three ED officials injured.

The events on Friday, coinciding with Swami Vivekananda’s birth anniversary, provided the BJP, the party in the Opposition, with another opportunity to launch a political strike against the ruling Trinamool Congress.

BJP Bengal leader Suvendu Adhikari, referring to the context of the investigation, remarked that the Enforcement Directorate engaged in an "auspicious work" on an auspicious day. He alleged the involvement of the concerned leaders in the irregularities.

In response, Kunal Ghosh, Trinamool’s spokesperson, accused the ED of adopting a vindictive and politically motivated stance. He stated, "What ED is doing is a vindictive attitude, politically. This is happening on the instructions of the BJP. The BJP has lost, and it has no power to confront the Trinamool. That’s why they are misusing the agency."

Ghosh claimed that Bose has been targeted by the BJP to keep him engaged through harassment, diverting his attention from overseeing the Lok Sabha constituencies assigned to him for election preparations.

After a day-long search at his premises, Roy mentioned that the agency representatives focused on what they wanted to see and did not ask him anything specific. “They didn’t ask me anything specifically,” he said.

When asked if he perceives the agency's actions as political harassment, Roy refrained from giving a direct response, stating that if he reacts, it would sound different. He mentioned that his party, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, or Abhishek Banerjee would address the issue. Roy noted that one mobile phone was confiscated from him, and some papers, typically handled by a public representative, were also examined.

The ED officials concluded their search at Bose's premises after nearly 14 hours. Speaking to the press in the late evening, Bose mentioned that his phone was seized, despite holding the position of the head of the fire and emergency services department.

Bose assured that all queries were addressed, and he would continue to cooperate with the ongoing investigation.

He added that he would submit his resignation to the Chief Minister if anyone can provide evidence that he has been offered money for any work.