India, Jan. 11 -- In one of the most shocking and criticised episodes witnessed in a Parliamentary democracy, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee shocked the nation when, on Thursday, she gate-crashed an ongoing Enforcement Directorate raid in Kolkata and took away crucial evidence-both documentary and electronic-relating to a probe into a money-laundering investigation linked to illegal coal smuggling.

The day of high-voltage drama unfolded as the chief minister gate-crashed ongoing searches at the residence of Prateek Jain, head of I-PAC (Indian Political Action Committee), the consultancy firm managing the Trinamool Congress's (TMC) strategy for the upcoming Assembly elections, and the firm's Salt Lake Sector V offices. The Enf...