Mamata Banerjee's protest rally today after dramatic showdown with ED, ‘naughty HM’ jab over I-PAC raid| India News
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**Rephrased Title:** "Mamata Banerjee Takes a Stand Against ED Raids, Accuses Centre of 'Looting' TMC Documents | West Bengal Politics" **Rephrased Article:** West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will lead a massive protest rally in Kolkata on Friday, denouncing the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) raids on I-PAC's office and the residence of its chief, Pratik Jain. The ED's searches, part of a money laundering probe into an alleged multi-crore rupee coal pilferage scam, have sparked a heated standoff between the TMC supremo and the central probe agency. Banerjee, who reached Jain's residence when the ED was conducting searches, claimed that the agency took away crucial documents, including financial papers, hard disks, and sensitive organisational data. The TMC supremo accused the ED of engaging in "political vendetta" and using the raids to feed data and poll strategies into its system. The dramatic chain of events unfolded on Thursday, with both the ED and Banerjee presenting conflicting accounts of what transpired. While the probe agency accused the chief minister of storming into the residence and taking away key evidence, Banerjee maintained that she simply retrieved her party's documents. Banerjee's move to intervene during the raids has been met with criticism from the ED, which has accused her of attempting to obstruct the investigation. However, the TMC supremo has defended her actions, saying that she was simply trying to protect her party's rights. The protest rally, which will commence at Jadavpur 8B bus stand and culminate at Hazra crossing, is expected to draw thousands of supporters. Banerjee has urged people to participate in the over 5-km long rally, which will be a show of strength for the TMC ahead of the upcoming assembly polls in West Bengal. In a scathing attack on the Centre, Banerjee has accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of misusing agencies to intimidate other parties. She has also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "control" his Home Minister, saying that the ED's actions are an attempt to "loot" the TMC's data and strategy. The ED's raids on I-PAC have raised concerns about the misuse of investigative agencies ahead of elections. As the assembly polls in West Bengal draw near, the TMC and the Centre are locked in a bitter battle of wits, with each side accusing the other of attempting to undermine the democratic process.
