Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday (January 9, 2026) slammed his West Bengal counterpart, Mamata Banerjee, for her conduct during Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids linked to political consultancy firm I-PAC in Kolkata earlier this week.
He told journalists in Guwahati that Ms. Banerjee’s actions could cost her public respect. He alleged that she had interfered with the investigation by entering the premises being searched and removing documents.
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“The way Mamata Banerjee entered the crime scene, took away files, and used foul language against the Home Minister (Amit Shah) is deeply disturbing. People will completely lose respect for her,” Mr. Sarma said.
He described the incident as unfortunate and unprecedented. “If a serving Chief Minister goes to a raid site, hijacks files, and kidnaps people, it is too much. I do not want to comment further, but it is a sad development,” he added.
The ED had conducted searches at the residence of I-PAC chief Pratik Jain and at the firm’s office in Kolkata on Thursday (January 8). Ms. Banerjee later reached the locations, alleging that the central agency was attempting to seize sensitive data related to the Trinamool Congress ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections, expected in March-April.
Separately, Mr. Sarma described West Bengal as a weak link in efforts to curb alleged infiltration from Bangladesh, stating that coordination among neighbouring states was crucial to address the issue.
“Assam and Tripura, both ruled by the BJP, are actively working to check infiltration from Bangladesh. However, the same effort is not visible in West Bengal. This is why we have not been able to tackle the problem effectively,” he said.
Mr. Sarma claimed that the fight against infiltration would gain momentum if the same party ruled Assam, Tripura, and West Bengal.
West Bengal shares the longest border with Bangladesh. Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya, and Mizoram also share borders with the neighbouring country in turmoil since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024.