The BJP’s West Bengal unit has filed a petition in the Calcutta High Court to seek permission for a protest in front of Nabanna, the state secretariat, against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s alleged interference with ED’s raids on I-PAC. The petition was admitted by Justice Shampa Dutta Paul, a single-judge bench.
On January 8, during simultaneous raids at I-PAC’s office and co-founder Pratik Jain’s residence, the Chief Minister, along with state officials and police, visited the locations and reportedly gathered paper files and electronic documents. Legal proceedings are ongoing in the Supreme Court and Calcutta High Court following ED’s accusations of the Chief Minister misusing her position.
The BJP’s West Bengal unit plans to protest at Nabanna in Mandirtala, Howrah district, a high-security area requiring special permission for demonstrations. Seeking direct permission from the Calcutta High Court, the party awaits a decision on whether the protest will be allowed.
In response, the Trinamool Congress criticized the BJP’s move, suggesting that the BJP leaders aim to protest outside Nabanna as they cannot access it internally. Debangshu Bhattacharya, a Trinamool Congress youth leader, and the party’s Information Technology cell in-charge, expressed this view.
