Last Updated: January 30, 2024, 12:34 IST
The JMM issued a statement saying ED officers had reached Hemant Soren’s residence in Delhi in the early hours of January 29 with several armed personnel, “which did not seem as per the law”. (Photo: PTI file)
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, in a letter to the ED, said he would record his statement before the agency officials at 1 pm on Wednesday at his residence
Amid claims that Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren is absconding, Section 144 of CrPc has been imposed within a 100-meter radius of Soren’s residence, Raj Bhavan and the Enforcement Directorate office in Ranchi.
This comes after an Enforcement Directorate team on Monday visited the Delhi residence of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren to question him in connection with a money laundering case and camped there for over 13 hours while they searched the premises.
Official sources as well as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed Soren was “missing” and could not be contacted by the federal agency but a family member alleged that a “false” narrative was being set to “delegitimise” the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader’s position.
On the other hand, Soren’s party asserted that the chief minister, who left Ranchi for Delhi on January 27, had gone for personal work and would be back soon.
Here are the top updates on the Hemant Soren story:
- Section 144 CrPc was imposed within a 100-meter radius of Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s residence, Raj Bhavan and ED office in Ranchi.
- Hemant Soren, in a letter to the ED, said he would record his statement before the agency officials at 1 pm on Wednesday at his residence, ANI reported.
- The 48-year-old JMM executive president alleged that the issuance of summons to him was “wholly vexatious and in colourable exercise of powers given by the statute.”
- As per agency sources, Soren is likely to reach Ranchi on Tuesday night.
- The ED has seized Rs 36 lakh, an SUV and some “incriminating” documents after it searched the Delhi residence of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
- Jharkhand unit of the BJP claimed that the chief minister has been absconding for the last 18 hours, fearing action of the ED.
- Former Jharkhand chief minister Babulal Marandi mocked CM Soren for evading the ED summons and appealed to the state’s people for their “lapata” (lost) CM.
- The ED has so far arrested 14 people in the case, including 2011-batch IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan who served as the director of the state’s Social Welfare Department and deputy commissioner of Ranchi.
The ED earlier questioned Soren at his official residence in Ranchi on January 20 in the case and had issued a fresh summons to him asking him to confirm his availability for questioning on either January 29 or January 31, the official sources said, adding Soren had sent a communication to the agency but had not confirmed the date and time for questioning.