On Friday, the Income Tax Department conducted raids for over six hours at the residence and election office of Debasish Kumar, a sitting MLA from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Kolkata, as part of an investigation into an illegal land grabbing case. Kumar, who is also the Mayor-in-Council of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, is contesting the Rashbehari Assembly seat against heavyweight BJP candidate Swapan Dasgupta. The raids began early in the morning at Kumar's residence on Manohar Pukur Road and extended to his electoral camp and councillor office. The Income Tax team, accompanied by Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), seized several documents and interrogated Kumar during the operation. Protests erupted from TMC supporters, alleging that the raids were politically motivated just days before the assembly polls set for April 23. Concurrently, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is investigating the Merlin Group and conducted searches on the premises of three businessmen in Kolkata and North 24 Parganas, further complicating the political landscape ahead of the elections.