KOLKATA: The Income Tax (IT) Department on Friday conducted raids at multiple locations, targeting the residences of Meeraj Shah, one of Mamata Banerjee’s proposers during her nomination filing, along with outgoing MLA Debashis Kumar and businessman-politician Kumar Saha in Kolkata.
The outgoing Chief Minister is contesting from her home turf, Bhabanipur assembly seat, against her nearest rival Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly and outgoing BJP MLA.
Eleven assembly constituencies, including Bhabanipur and Rashbehari under the Kolkata electoral district, will go to polls in the second phase on April 29.
The search operations carried out by the IT Department at the residences of Trinamool Congress leaders and supporters, particularly in the southern parts of the city since early morning, have prompted strong protests from the party leadership, including the outgoing CM, against the BJP-led government at the Centre.
Mamata, a resident of the Kalighat area, reacted strongly to the raids at a poll rally, stating, “It’s a political vendetta of the BJP that is using central agencies against Trinamool Congress leaders five days ahead of the assembly elections in the state.”
In a move to convey her secular ideology, the Trinamool Congress chief had selected four proposers from four different religions while submitting her nomination papers on April 8.
The four proposers were Meeraj Shah, a member of a trustee board of an academic institute; Nishpal Singh Rane, a film producer and husband of Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Koel Mullick; Ismal Hakim, wife of Kolkata Mayor and Municipal Affairs Minister Firhad Hakim; and Bablu Singh, a local party leader.
An IT team conducted a raid at Shah’s residence on Elgin Road. A large number of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel were deployed during the search operations carried out at these locations since morning.
A team from the central agency under the Union Ministry of Finance began simultaneous searches at Kumar’s residence on Manoharpukur Road and his election office around 6 am, sources said.
The reason behind the searches at the residences of the three individuals is not yet known.
Kumar had recently been summoned multiple times by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a land fraud case. He was called for questioning at the CGO Complex in Salt Lake on April 1, 3, and 9, and had appeared before the agency.
The ED is probing whether Kumar had any financial transactions with businessman Amit Gangopadhyay, whose property was recently searched by the agency, officials said.
The BJP has fielded columnist Swapan Dasgupta against Kumar from the Rashbehari seat.
The searches triggered tension outside Kumar’s residence, with Trinamool Congress workers raising slogans against the BJP-led government at the Centre.
