Ranchi: CM Hemant Soren will appear before the ED for questioning on January 31. According to Sources, a letter related to this has been sent by the Chief Minister’s Office to the regional office of ED. In the letter, information about the time to come for questioning on January 31 has been given.
Earlier on Monday, the ED team reached Hemant Soren’s residence in Delhi for questioning in the money laundering case related to the land scam. Hemant Soren’s Shanti Niketan residence in the posh area of South Delhi.
A large number of security personnel have been deployed outside and inside his residence. It is noteworthy that on January 25, ED had sent a message through e-mail when Chief Minister Hemant Soren did not give time for questioning in the Ranchi land scam case.
In the message, ED had asked to give time of 29th or 31st January to interrogate the CM. ED had also written in its message that if the CM does not give time of 29th or 31st January, then the agency officials themselves would go to him and interrogate him.
Meanwhile, CM Hemant Soren had left for Delhi on 27 January. On January 25, the CM had indirectly refused to give time to the ED for questioning. However, the CM did not mention giving time in the letter sent to ED. It was said that he would reply at the appropriate time.
The ED had sent the 9th summons to the CM on January 22 asking him to appear before the ED investigation team between January 27 and 31. Earlier, on January 20, on the eighth summons, ED officials had gone to the Chief Minister’s residence and interrogated him.
During this time the team interrogated him for about seven hours. Chief Minister Hemant Soren remained absent on the last seven summons sent by ED, saying that these summons are unconstitutional and this is being done to harass his government.
Jharkhand Police is on high alert regarding the ongoing action by ED against CM Hemant Soren in Delhi. According to Sources, SPs of all the districts of Jharkhand have been asked by the Police Headquarters to remain on high alert. For this, instructions have been given to the SPs of all the districts. Extensive security arrangements have been made in every district including the capital Ranchi.
ED had conducted raids in the Ranchi land scam case on April 13, 2023. Documents related to this land were found at the house of the then Deputy Revenue Inspector Bhanu Pratap Prasad. In this matter, a case was registered in Ranchi Sadar police station in May 2023. ED made this case a part of its ECIR.
During interrogation, Badgai CO Manoj Kumar and employee Bhanu Pratap Prasad and guards had said that the entire land belongs to CM Hemant Soren. This land is in total 12 plots, which is a total of 8.46 acres. Investigation has revealed that this entire land has been cordoned off and a guard house has also been built. Investigation has also revealed that some of it is non-cultivated land and some of it is waste land. ED has arrested 14 people including IAS Chhavi Ranjan in the land scam case.