Federal investigators stepped up scrutiny on Trinamool Congress lawmaker Nadimul Haque on Monday morning, executing coordinated searches across seven properties spanning three major cities. The Enforcement Directorate launched the extensive operation in Kolkata, Delhi, and Ranchi as part of an expanding probe under anti-money laundering statutes.

Key Case Highlights
  • Target: Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Nadimul Haque and affiliated publishing entities.
  • Locations: Seven premises searched across Kolkata, Delhi, and Ranchi.
  • Underlying Charges: Unaccounted cash, illicit transactions, suspicious funding sources, and disseminating material alleged to incite communal discord.
  • Origin: Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) founded on an FIR registered by the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate.

Origins of the Money Laundering Investigation

The federal probe traces back to a criminal complaint originally registered under the jurisdiction of the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate. Following that police filing, the Enforcement Directorate recorded its own Enforcement Case Information Report to examine potential financial crimes.

According to agency officials, the scrutiny focuses on allegations that the publishing venture circulated content intended to provoke communal disharmony. Investigators are examining whether the associated network facilitated unaccounted cash movements, questionable third-party funding streams, and illicit monetary transfers across state borders.

Media Venture and Operational Reach

Beyond his legislative seat in the Upper House, the 56-year-old journalist and businessman has operated as director of Akhbar-E-Mashriq Pvt Ltd since 2004. The enterprise manages the Urdu daily newspaper Akhbar-E-Mashriq, an outlet established in 1980 that prints editions for six cities: Delhi, Kolkata, Ranchi, Lucknow, Bhopal, and Srinagar. In earlier years, Haque also headed the West Bengal Urdu Akademi.

Political Pressures on the Trinamool Congress

The enforcement searches arrive during a turbulent period for the Trinamool Congress hierarchy following party leader Mamata Banerjee's defeat in the 2026 state Assembly election. While four party colleagues resigned their Upper House seats—with three subsequently securing reelection to the Rajya Sabha with backing from the Bharatiya Janata Party—Haque has stood firm among the loyalists remaining in Banerjee's corner.