New Delhi, Jan. 9 -- In a writ petition filed before the Calcutta High Court, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday accused the West Bengal Police, allegedly acting in collusion with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, of obstructing its officials and failing to discharge their public duty in "flagrant and blatant disregard to law" during an ongoing search operation in Kolkata carried out on January 8.

In the 28-page petition, the ED said the state police prevented its officers from carrying out their official duties under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

The agency alleged that the situation escalated after the Chief Minister on Thursday entered the residential premises of Prateek Jain, director of political consul...