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CM Soren skips ED date, asks it to ‘withdraw’ summon
A staff member of chief minister Heman Soren’s office turned up at the zonal office of the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in Ranchi during the second half of the day on Monday and submitted a sealed envelope with the federal agency. “I have no idea about what was in the envelope. I was just told to deliver it,” he told reporters outside the ED office.
Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren on Monday skipped the ED summon for questioning in connection with an ongoing money laundering case related to fraudulent sale of land parcels in the state capital and has also sought its withdrawal questioning its legality, people aware of the development said.
A staff member of the chief minister’s office turned up at the zonal office of the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in Ranchi during the second half of the day on Monday and submitted a sealed envelope with the federal agency. “I have no idea about what was in the envelope. I was just told to deliver it,” he told reporters outside the ED office.
Soren, meanwhile, visited the Doordarshan office to record the CM’s customary Independence Day message.
While both the ruling dispensation and the federal agency remained tight-lipped over the content of the communication from the chief minister, sources said Soren has questioned the summon and asked the agency to “withdraw” it.
“The chief minister has, however, told the agency that he was otherwise open to providing all possible cooperation related to the investigation of the case,” a source said.
The chief minister has also reportedly questioned the choice of date, August 14, for scheduling the questioning despite the common knowledge about the involvement of the office of the chief minister in Independence Day celebrations a day later.
On August 8, the ED had summoned Soren for questioning on August 14 in connection with a money laundering case at its zonal office in Ranchi and record his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The federal agency has been probing two major cases of money laundering in the state. The first case is related to illegal mining in the state. The CM was questioned in connection with mining case on November 17 last year.
The second case is related to alleged land scam in the state capital. Thirteen people, including IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan and two businessmen, Amit Agrawal of Kolkata and Bishnu Agrawal, who owns shopping malls in Ranchi, have already been arrested in connection with the alleged land scam.
ED has made these arrests on allegations of fraudulent sale-purchase of land parcels at prime locations in the state capital, including two in possession of Indian defence establishment.
JMM general secretary and spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya, while refusing to comment on possible reasons behind the CM skipping the summon, described the ED action as politically motivated.
“He was summoned on the day Dumri assembly bypoll was announced and a day before the World Indigenous Day when the state government was to organise Adivasi Festival. He was summoned for August 14, a day before Independence Day. The entire world knows that CMS have several administrative obligations, like recording of message with Doordarshan and review meetings for Independence Day. Are these not enough proof to show all this is being done to harass our leader?” Bhattacharya said.
