ED arrives at residence of Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren for questioning

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is scheduled to interrogate Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren at his official residence in Ranchi today regarding the land scam case. ED teams entered the CM’s house at 1 pm on Saturday, prompting heightened security around the official residence and various areas in Ranchi. Rajkumar Mehta, Superintendent of Police, Ranchi, stated, “Heavy forces have been deployed in several areas in Ranchi. No citizen has the right to take laws into their hands. Senior officers have been deployed at different places. All the safety parameters have been kept in mind.”

Members of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) gathered at the Chief Minister’s residence, expressing dissent against the ED probe. Earlier in the month, CM Hemant Soren informed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that it could record his statement in the land scam case at his official residence on January 20. The ED had issued the eighth summons to Soren, asking him to participate in the investigation between January 16 to 20.

Previously, a summons was issued to the Chief Minister’s press advisor, Abhishek Prasad, for an investigation into an alleged money laundering case linked to illegal mining. Soren was given a ‘last opportunity’ by the ED to record his statement, which he labeled as ‘illegal’ in his response to the agency. The CM stated, “Since you have not come to the office of the Directorate of Enforcement in obedience to the summonses issued to you, we are giving you this last opportunity to record your statement under section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, at the place, date and time, mutually convenient to you as well as the undersigned (ED), which should be within 7 days of receipt of this notice/Summons.”

Soren had been summoned by the ED earlier in August 2023, in connection with a land ‘scam’ case. He had previously cited preoccupations and provided necessary documents and information to the ED. Soren urged the ED to refer to the documents already shared if further information was required.