The BJP Tuesday moved the Calcutta High Court seeking permission to hold a rally outside the West Bengal Secretariat, Nabanna, or any place around it after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) allegedly faced obstruction from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and other government officers during raids at the office of political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC).
The matter was presented before the single-judge bench of Justice Shampa Dutta (Paul), who allowed the case to be filed. According to counsel, the BJP sought police permission to hold a protest outside Nabanna, but the request was denied because the area is a highly secure zone. The BJP approached the Calcutta High Court for permission, noting that other political parties and organisations had previously held rallies there with the court’s approval.
According to the counsel, BJP leaders wish to hold a rally near Nabanna. This request follows the ED raids on January 8 at the residence of the IPAC chief and at the Salt Lake office, where CM Banerjee and several officials, including the director general of police and the commissioner of police for Kolkata, were present.
The day after the raids, TMC MPs staged a protest outside Home Minister Amit Shah’s office in Delhi to condemn the ED’s actions. In response, the BJP is seeking permission from the court to protest outside CM Banerjee’s office.
On Tuesday, Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition, filed a petition in the Calcutta High Court requesting a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the attack on his convoy, which he claims was carried out by TMC goons in Chandrakona.
The matter came up before a single-judge bench of Justice Suvra Ghosh, who granted permission to file the case. The counsel for Adhikari stated that they requested a CBI investigation, citing a lack of trust in the state police. The counsel noted that local police were present during the incident but failed to take any action, and no arrests have been made so far.
Earlier, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had sought a report from the office of Adhikari regarding the alleged attack on his convoy by TMC supporters near Purulia late Saturday evening. Adhikari’s office then sent video recordings of the incident to the MHA.
Adhikari alleged that the incident occurred around 8.20 pm while he was returning from Purulia. When his convoy crossed the four-point crossing in the Chandrakona Road Market area in West Midnapore district, some TMC supporters carrying the party flag allegedly blocked the road and attacked his convoy with bamboo sticks.
Adhikari further alleged that the local police did not arrive at the scene when the incident occurred. He said he was uninjured due to the bulletproof glass of the vehicle he was travelling in. Some local BJP supporters, along with his security team, removed the TMC supporters, leading to a scuffle, he added.
After leaving the location, he went directly to the beat house police outpost and sat on a dharna for nearly six hours, claiming that the police were assigning bailable sections to the alleged attackers.
He claimed that the attackers arrived with bamboo sticks and attacked two cars, not knowing which one he was in. They also had a can of petrol with them, he said.
Taking to social media, Adhikari claimed that the attack occurred in the presence of police officers who failed to intervene.
This was not the first time the Leader of the Opposition’s convoy had been attacked, allegedly by TMC supporters. In August 2025, Adhikari’s convoy was attacked in Cooch Behar town, North Bengal.