The raids come a week after ED officials were assaulted and their vehicles were ransacked by a mob in Sandeshkhali on January 5 while they conducted a raid at TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikha’s residence. Three ED officers were injured and had to be hospitalised.

On Friday morning, an ED team raided Bose’s two residences in the Sreebhumi area. Another team raided Roy’s apartment and office in Bowbazar while another went to Chakraborty’s residence in Birati. The teams were escorted by a large number of central force jawans.

The raids were in connection to a recruitment scam in various municipalities in West Bengal. It is alleged that hundreds of jobs were given in exchange for money in the municipalities.

Roy, the TMC deputy chief whip in the Assembly, is an MLA from Baranagar. The Baranagar municipality is one of the municipalities under the ED’s radar in the recruitment scam.

Bose’s residence is being raided in connection to recruitment scams in North and South Dum Dum municipalities. “Sujit Bose is directly linked with the recruitment scam in South Dum Dum Municipality. Seventy TMC leaders are involved in the recruitment scam. They should all start packing their bags,” said Suvendu Adhikari, BJP MLA and leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly.

“People of Bengal know that it is only a political vendetta by the Centre and the party ruling at the Centre,” Minister for Women and Child Development Sashi Panja said.

“Once again ED is conducting raids here. This is happening through a script prepared by the BJP. The BJP cannot fight us politically. That is why they have given a list of our leaders to central agencies and asked them to harass the leaders,” said Kunal Ghosh, TMC state secretary and spokesperson.