Kolkata | January 8, 2026

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday carried out searches at the office of Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and at the residence of its director, Pratik Jain, in Kolkata, officials confirmed. The federal agency was accompanied by personnel from a central paramilitary force, highlighting the scale of the operation.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reached the TMC IT cell and I-PAC’s main office on the 11th floor of a Salt Lake building around 12:40 pm, amid the ongoing action. Reports said piles of documents were removed from the office and loaded into a vehicle, closely guarded by state police personnel.

Officials did not disclose the exact allegations or the details of the investigation that prompted the searches. Those familiar with the action, however, indicated that I-PAC staff were asked to provide certain documents and information relevant to the case.

Background on I-PAC and its role in Bengal politics

Founded by political strategist Prashant Kishore, I-PAC played a key role in Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) 2021 assembly election victory in West Bengal. After Kishore left the organization in 2023 and later formed the Jan Suraaj Party in Bihar in 2024, Pratik Jain took over as director. I-PAC has also managed campaigns for various parties, including the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Janata Dal (United), and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

I-PAC’s association with TMC dates back to after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, when the party’s tally in Bengal dropped from 34 to 22 seats, and the BJP won 18 out of 42 seats. The consultancy firm was subsequently brought in to revamp the party’s election strategy.

Thursday’s operation marks the first time a federal agency has conducted searches at I-PAC’s office, signaling a significant escalation in regulatory scrutiny of the firm’s activities.

The searches come amid heightened political sensitivities in West Bengal, where Mamata Banerjee has repeatedly criticized the central government for allegedly targeting her party’s functionaries. In 2019, a similar standoff occurred when Banerjee rushed to the residence of IPS officer Rajeev Kumar during a CBI raid, later leading a sit-in protest against the Centre.

Officials confirmed that the ED’s search at Salt Lake, as well as Jain’s residence at Loudon Street and another business associate’s house, is part of an ongoing investigation, though no further details were shared at the time.