ED raids several locations, residences and offices of Mamata-led TMC Rajya Sabha MP Nadimul Haque

Kolkata: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday raided Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Nadimul Haque’s residence and offices at seven locations in New Delhi, Kolkata and Ranchi over an alleged illegal financial transaction in connection with his Urdu daily, people in the know said.

The ED’s Kolkata unit conducted searches at seven premises in Kolkata, Delhi and Ranchi in connection with the case involving M/s Akhbar-E-Mashriq Pvt. Ltd., an Urdu daily newspaper, and its director, Mohd. Nadimul Haque, who is a Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP. The raids were completed in the evening.

“The agency’s team has searched the MP’s residences in Delhi and several other locations, including a Kolkata address linked to him,” an official said.


Haque said he was on an official field visit in Ranchi with a Parliamentary committee on Monday when the ED raided his official residence.

“I have been traveling with the Parliamentary committee on Government Assurances. We were in Patna yesterday and we were in Ranchi today,” said Haque.

“ECIR was recorded by ED on the basis of an FIR registered by Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate. The case relates to allegations concerning publication/dissemination of material promoting communal disharmony and also contains allegations regarding illegal transactions, unaccounted cash transactions and funding from suspicious sources,” the ED statement said.

Meanwhile, Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said the ED raids were being carried out out of political vendetta and alleged that the BJP was scared of Mamata Banerjee and her MPs.

Trinamool, led by LoP Ritabrata Banerjee, said Nadimul had occupied two rooms at Banga Bhawan during the Mamata Banerjee government and that the matter should also be probed.

BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya said, “We have been tired of these raids by ED for long. Everyone knows about Trinamool Congress and thus they have been ousted from power.”