Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Thursday skipped a summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering investigation related to an alleged mining scam in the state, PTI reported.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader was called for questioning at 11 am at the regional office of Enforcement Directorate in Ranchi. He instead addressed party workers at a gathering outside his home.
“Come and arrest me if I have committed a crime instead of sending a summons for questioning,” Soren said, according to PTI. “I am neither afraid nor worried. Rather I am emerging stronger.”
Soren alleged that the Enforcement Directorate was working on behalf of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
“The BJP has unleashed central forces to destabilise a democratically elected Jharkhand government,” he said, according to NDTV. “This is a misuse of constitutional institutions to suppress the voice of anyone who opposes them.”
The chief minister also alleged that a “gang of outsiders” was operating in Jharkhand which does not want the Adivasis to succeed.
In July, the central investigating agency had arrested Soren’s aide Pankaj Mishra. Mishra was a central committee member of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.
Mishra was arrested after the Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at 19 locations, including his premises in Sahibganj and those linked to him in the state. After the raids, the authorities froze deposits of Rs 11.88 crore lying in 37 bank accounts belonging to Mishra and others.
The central agency said that it had recovered Rs 5.34 crore of unaccounted cash during the raids and claimed that the amounts were linked to illegal mining in the state.
In its chargesheet filed before a special court in Ranchi, the Enforcement Directorate has alleged that Mishra controls the illegal mining business in the chief minister’s Assembly constituency Barhait through his accomplices.
Besides Mishra, the Enforcement Directorate has also named his associates Bacchu Yadav and Prem Prakash as accused, according to The Indian Express. The agency alleged they laundered the money gained through illegal mining. All of them are under judicial custody.
On Wednesday, an unidentified official of the Enforcement Directorate had told the newspaper that Soren was summoned after some facts were revealed about his aide which needed to be verified.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!