Following an attack on a team of National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials in West Bengal's Medinipur district, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee raised concerns regarding the timing and permissions surrounding the NIA raids. She questioned why the raids were conducted post-midnight and whether the team had obtained the necessary permissions from the police.
Banerjee criticized the Centre, drawing parallels to the recent arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and questioned the timing of arrests just before elections. She accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to intimidate booth agents and questioned the authority of the NIA, suggesting that these actions were orchestrated to support the BJP's political agenda.
The NIA officials were attacked by villagers in the Bhupatinagar area, where they were investigating a bomb blast case from 2022. According to a police official, the NIA team had arrested two individuals in connection with the case earlier in the morning and were returning to Kolkata when their vehicle was attacked by locals, resulting in injuries to one of the NIA officers.
In response to the incident, the BJP's Bengal unit condemned the attack, describing it as "disgusting" and attributing it to the "reign of terror" by the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, addressing the media in Bihar's Patna, referenced previous attacks on law enforcement agencies and suggested a pattern of violence when terrorist-related elements are apprehended.
Meanwhile, Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of the opposition in West Bengal, criticized the state's law and order situation, calling for action against responsible police officials. Adhikari attributed the attack to Banerjee's alleged instigation against law enforcement agencies, citing her recent comments about the NIA at a political event in Cooch Behar district.
