TMC MPs protest outside Shah's office; Moitra, O'Brien dragged away
What's the story
Several MPs of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) were detained after they staged a protest outside Union Home Minister Amit Shah's office in Delhi on Friday. The demonstration was against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids at 10 premises linked to the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) in Kolkata and Delhi. Holding placards that read, "Bengal rejects Modi-Shah's dirty politics," the TMC MPs accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government of misusing central agencies to influence the upcoming West Bengal elections.
Protest details
TMC MPs accuse BJP of undemocratic tactics
The protest was led by senior TMC leaders, including Derek O'Brien, Mahua Moitra, Satabdi Roy and Kirti Azad. The MPs accused the BJP of using the ED to target their party in an "undemocratic" manner. Police intervened and detained several protesting MPs, including Moitra and O'Brien. Videos showed Moitra and O'Brien being carried away by police.
Twitter Post
Watch video here
VIDEO | Delhi: Police detain TMC MP Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) as party MPs protest outside Union Home Minister Amit Shah's office against ED raids on the I-PAC office in Kolkata.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 9, 2026
(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/k6ixpz6bMV
MPs
'ED was misused by the Home Ministry'
"Yesterday, entire India, Bengal witnessed how ED was misused by the Home Ministry. The ED was sent to steal our party's political, strategic information. Mamata Banerjee is a lioness, she protected our party's properties," Moitra said. Agreeing, TMC MP Roy said, "They sent the team of ED yesterday and they remember everything during the time of elections...They send the teams of ED, CBI during the elections just to win, but they won't win the elections."
CM's intervention
Mamata Banerjee intervenes during ED raids
The standoff was sparked by ED raids on I-PAC chief Pratik Jain's home and the group's office on Thursday. Hours into the raid, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reached Jain's residence. As she left the premises, she accused the central agency of trying to seize sensitive poll-related documents while carrying a green plastic folder. "They (ED officials) have seized the candidate list, party strategy, party plan," she said during her confrontation with the officials.
ED's response
ED denies political allegations, cites money-laundering investigation
The Enforcement Directorate has denied the political allegations leveled by the TMC. The agency said the raids were part of a money-laundering investigation related to an old coal pilferage scam. It said investigations revealed a link with Hawala operators. "IPAC is also one of the entities linked to Hawala money," the ED said. The ED has moved the Calcutta High Court, alleging obstruction in its investigation due to Banerjee's actions. I-PAC has also approached the court, questioning the raids' legality.