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Hemant Soren, who skipped ED summons, again asked to appear before it
The ED had earlier asked Hemant Soren to appear before it on November 3 but he skipped the summons citing official engagements. He had then sought a three-week deferment of the summons.
Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren has been issued a fresh summons by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to appear before it in Ranchi on November 17 for questioning in a money laundering case linked to alleged illegal mining in the state.
The federal probe agency had earlier asked Soren to appear before it on November 3 but he skipped the summons citing official engagements. He had then sought a three-week deferment of the summons.
Soren was called to appear before ED at its zonal office in Ranchi at 11am on Thursday, but the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s working president left for Chhattisgarh’s capital Raipur on Thursday morning to attend a “scheduled” programme.
Before leaving, the chief minister addressed his party workers outside his residence, where he alleged that the summons against him was part of a “conspiracy” to “destabilise” the state government.
“I have been summoned by ED today when I already have a programme in Chhattisgarh. Come and arrest me if I have committed a crime that big instead of sending summonses for questioning,” he said. “I am neither afraid nor worried. I am emerging stronger.”
The ED has arrested Soren's political aide Pankaj Mishra and two others -- local muscleman Bachhu Yadav and Prem Prakash - in this case.
The agency has said it has "identified" proceeds of crime relating to illegal mining in the state to the tune of more than ₹1,000 crore till now.
The ED probe began after the agency raided Mishra and his alleged associates on July 8, covering 19 locations in Sahibganj, Barhait, Rajmahal, Mirza Chauki and Barharwa in Jharkhand in the case linked to alleged instances of illegal mining and extortion.
"The PMLA investigation revealed that Mishra, who enjoys a political clout, being the representative of the chief minister, MLA from Barhait, Sahibganj, Jharkhand controls the illegal mining businesses as well as inland ferry services in Sahibganj and its adjoining areas through his accomplices.
"He exercises considerable control over the mining of stone chips and boulders as well as installation and operations of several crushers, set up across various mining sites in Sahibganj," the ED had alleged after filing a charge sheet in the case before a special court in Ranchi.
In the charge sheet, the ED stated that it recovered "a sealed envelope containing a passbook and two cheque books containing two signed cheques, all pertaining to A/c...in the name of Shri Hemant Soren held with Bank of India, Sahibganj".
Among other items seized by the ED include "one yellow color file marked as April 2019 to June 2022 having all bank details of Hemant Soren" and his family members, the agency said in the charge sheet.
Forty-seven search operations have been conducted and cash worth ₹5.34 crore has been seized, bank balances worth ₹13.32 crore have been frozen and an inland water vessel worth ₹30 crore has been seized.
Five stone crushers, two trucks and two AK 47 assault rifles (these weapons were later claimed by Jharkhand police as its own) have also been seized till now, the ED said.
(With inputs from PTI)
