‘Won't accept defeat': Former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren's first reaction after arrest
Hemant Soren was apprehended by the Enforcement Directorate at Ranchi on Wednesday moments after he demitted the office of Jharkhand chief minister.
Former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren who was arrested by the ED on Wednesday night took to X and said that he would not accept defeat. In his first reaction after the arrest, Soren said, “It's a break. life is a great battle. I have fought every moment, I will fight every moment. But I will not beg for compromise.”
“I will not give up in vain… I will not accept defeat… Jai Jharkhand!” he added.
Hemant Soren was apprehended by the Enforcement Directorate at Ranchi on Wednesday moments after he demitted the office of Jharkhand chief minister. The 48-year-old politician was subsequently transported to the probe agency's office in connection with its investigation into an alleged land scam in the state.
The incident unfolded just 48 hours after the federal agency had meticulously organized an operation to apprehend the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader in Delhi. Despite deploying teams at his Delhi residence and the airport in the national capital, he successfully evaded capture and travelled by road to reach Ranchi on Tuesday.
“We have evidence that Hemant Soren had grabbed some parcel of land under probe in Jharkhand, which was illegally obtained by others through falsified documents,” an officer of the Enforcement Directorate told HT.
A Kolkata-based businessman named Amit Kumar Agarwal, arrested by the probe agency on June 7 last year, played a crucial role in Hemant Soren's arrest. Agarwal is suspected to be the handler of illicit funds involving various politicians, including the then chief minister of Jharkhand, as alleged in a PIL filed in the Jharkhand High Court in 2021 by lawyer Rajeev Kumar.
Despite evading ED questioning on at least seven occasions since August last year, Hemant Soren eventually agreed to be interrogated on January 20 at his Ranchi residence. Subsequently, the agency summoned him to appear on January 29 or 31. On Wednesday, the ED team reached his official residence in the state's capital, questioning him for nearly seven hours before formally arresting him at the ED's Ranchi office, coinciding with the JMM leader's resignation submitted to the governor.
Officials have stated that he will be presented before a court on Thursday, during which the agency will elucidate the specific charges against him.
(With inputs from agencies)
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