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Hemant Soren kept in basement with no sunlight, claims advocate; ED remand extended
AG Rajeev Ranjan said ED kept Hemant Soren at a basement room and monitors him even when he sleeps through armed guards.
As Hemant Soren's ED remand got extended by five more days on Wednesday, advocate general Rajeev Ranjan who appeared for the former Jharkhand chief minister said Hemant Soren has been kept in a basement room without any window. The sunlight does not reach there and even air comes through a pipe. Even when Hemant Soren sleeps, he is monitored by armed guards, the AG said. On February 2, Hemant Soren was remanded to ED for five days which will now be extended for another five days. In the last five days, Hemant Soren has been interrogated for 120 hours, the AG said.
On February 5, Hemant Soren took part in the floor test of the Champai Soren government which the JMM-led coalition won with a 47:29 majority. Before the vote, Hemant Soren spoke on his arrest and called it an example of how Dalits and tribals are oppressed in society. He said the governor's house too had a role to play in his arrest and he would quit politics if there was any evidence against him. After the floor test, Hemant Soren was brought back to the ED office.
"January 31 was a black chapter in India's history. A chief minister was arrested at the behest of the Raj Bhavan... The BJP doesn't want a tribal CM to complete 5 years in Jharkhand; they did not allow this even in their regimes," Hemant Soren said. "However, I will not shed tears now. I will give a befitting reply to the feudal forces at an appropriate time," he added.
February 7 also marked the wedding anniversary of Hemant Soren as his wife Kalpana Soren made a post from Hemant Soren's X account. "Hemant ji did not accept to bow down, to protect the identity and existence of Jharkhand. He chose to dedicate himself and fight the conspiracy. Today is our 18th wedding anniversary but Hemant ji is not among the family or children. We believe that he will defeat this conspiracy and emerge as a winner and join us soon. I am the life partner of a brave Jharkhand warrior. I will not be emotional today. Like Hemant ji, I will smile even in difficult circumstances and become his strength of courage and struggle," Kalpana Soren Murmu wrote.
(With PTI inputs)
