New Delhi: Enforcement Directorate officers informed the local police about their raid at the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) office, and its director’s residence in “belated” emails in the wake of a detailed inquiry, senior West Bengal Police officers have alleged in their affidavits before the Supreme Court.
The move came in response to the ED’s writ petition, which called for an independent inquiry into alleged obstruction during the agency’s raid on the Kolkata I-PAC office last month.
Three senior West Bengal police officers have also called the ED’s plea “wholly misconceived and not maintainable” before the Supreme Court under Article 32 of the Constitution, which gives citizens the right to approach the court in cases of infringement of fundamental rights.
These officers, including the director general of police and Kolkata police commissioner, alleged that respective police stations with jurisdiction in the area received “information” about the ED’s raids from other sources.
Responding to the court’s notice on the ED’s writ petition, which accused the three officers of obstructing them during the raids, West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar, Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma, and DCP Priyabrata Roy have filed individual affidavits before the Supreme Court.
The ED had claimed that senior state police officers were accompanying Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as she took away the evidence they had gathered during searches.
On the other hand, police officers claimed that their presence with the CM was purely to maintain her security as she “carries a threat from various anti-national elements” and is a Z+ protectee.
The series of events began on 8 January, when the ED conducted raids at six premises, including the I-PAC office—a political consultancy firm that provides services to the ruling Trinamool Congress—and the residence of its director, Prateek Jain.
The agency was carrying out raids as part of its probe into an alleged coal mining syndicate, allegedly running from the state.
During the raid, Banerjee arrived at Jain’s residence, accusing the agency of stealing her party’s political data.
The ED has said that she took Jain’s laptop and mobile phone, which they had been looking to seize.
However, the state police officers submitted before the court that Banerjee reached the I-PAC office in Kolkata and requested the ED officers to “allow access” to certain confidential data and materials related to her party. The ED officers, they said, did not raise any objections.
The state police officers have dismissed the allegations of obstruction of the ED’s probe, levelling similar allegations instead.
In their respective affidavits, the DGP and Kolkata police commissioner have submitted that the ED officers approached the local police to inform about the raids, only after the local police had reached the I-PAC office and Jain’s residence.
These emails were sent after a heated altercation between armed Central Reserve Police Force personnel, who accompanied the ED officers and West Bengal police personnel over entry into premises under searches, the state’s officers have alleged.
“As such, West Bengal Police had every reason to be apprehensive when armed persons entered the said private premises and consistently refused to verify their identity to the local police station. It is a matter of record that the ED only identified itself to the local police by way of a belated email, after having already unlawfully physically obstructed, shoved and attempted to intimidate West Bengal Police personnel,” DGP Rajeev Kumar submitted in the affidavit.
Kumar retired from service Saturday and requested the top court to clear his name from the due course of proceedings and add the office of the DGP, if required.
The police officers also submitted two FIRs registered in Kolkata on Banerjee’s complaint, alleging theft of her party’s political data and information.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)