West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee spearheaded a high-voltage protest march through Kolkata’s bustling streets on Friday, igniting public fury against central agency actions, just as chaos erupted in the Calcutta High Court during a pivotal hearing on ED raids.

Street Protest Ignites

Leading from the front, Banerjee traversed 6 km from Jadavpur to Hazra crossing, flanked by TMC loyalists chanting anti-BJP slogans. She branded the ED operation a desperate BJP ploy to sabotage Bengal’s upcoming Assembly polls, vowing to march on the Election Commission next.

• Banerjee invoked Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, rallying against “Delhi’s oppression and disenfranchisement of Bengal’s masses.”
• TMC accuses ED of pilfering election strategies from I-PAC, the party’s consultancy partner.
• Police lodged FIRs against ED following TMC complaints.

Courtroom Tempest

The High Court session unraveled before it could advance, with lawyers jostling despite Justice Ghosh’s pleas for calm. The ED demanded a CBI inquiry into Banerjee’s alleged interference—claiming she whisked away a laptop, phone, and documents from I-PAC co-founder Pratik Jain’s residence during Thursday’s coal smuggling probe.

Unfazed, Banerjee hit back, questioning BSF and CISF’s role in curbing coal scams while targeting her administration. BJP leaders, including Ravi Shankar Prasad, fired salvos, labeling her actions as obstruction of justice and proof of deeper corruption ties.

Broader Fallout

With the weekend halting proceedings, tension simmers as ED pushes for urgent relisting. Banerjee’s street mobilization signals escalating Centre-state friction ahead of Bengal’s electoral battleground, drawing national spotlight to Kolkata’s power corridors.