ED Alleges Mamata Banerjee Obstructed Coal Smuggling Raids, CM Cries Political Vendetta

• The ED conducted searches on January 8 in connection with a coal smuggling and money laundering case, alleging obstruction by West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee.
• The investigation stems from a November 2020 CBI FIR against Anup Majee's syndicate, accused of illegally excavating and selling coal from ECL areas in West Bengal.
• ED claims CM Banerjee entered premises, removed evidence, and obstructed PMLA proceedings, moving the High Court over the alleged interference.
• The probe uncovered hawala links, with one operator facilitating transactions of tens of crores to Indian Pac Consulting Private Limited (IPAC), an entity also linked to hawala money.
• CM Banerjee challenged BJP and Amit Shah, accusing the ED of unlawfully seizing AITC's data, laptops, and strategic documents from IPAC's office, calling it a "crime."

Why It Matters: ED alleges CM Mamata Banerjee obstructed coal smuggling raids, while CM accuses ED of political targeting.