An Enforcement Directorate (ED) team on Monday visited the Delhi residence of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren to question him in connection with a money laundering investigation but found the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader 'missing'.
However, the JMM leadership rubbished the "confusion" regarding Soren's whereabouts, stating that he will appear before the investigating agency on Wednesday. A family member too alleged that a "false" narrative was being set to "delegitimise" Soren. The member, who did not wish to be identified, told PTI that they had informed the ED regarding Soren's compliance with the summons including his willingness to record his statement on January 31, 2024, at 1 pm at his Ranchi residence.
This is the tenth summons issued to Soren in the land scam case.
The drama unfolded on Monday after ED officials arrived at Soren's residence at 5/1 Shanti Niketan building in South Delhi around 9 am. Unable to find the chief minister, the agency officials searched the premises for over 13 hours. The agency seized a Haryana-registered BMW car from Soren's residence apart from some documents. The ED officials had already visited his official residence in Jharkhand too.
"An ED team went to the residence of the chief minister in Delhi to question him but he was not there. Some other teams also went to the Jharkhand Bhawan and a few other locations but could not find the chief minister," a source told PTI.
Police personnel stand guard outside Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren's residence, in New Delhi | PTI
The JMM had claimed that Soren left Ranchi for Delhi on January 27 for personal work and would be back. Party general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya told reporters on Monday that the way "the political situation has been presented is against democratic values."
"The CM has gone to Delhi for personal work and will return as well. He has been called on January 31. We are ready for that day. You asked us the place and time and we informed you the place would be CM's residence on Kanke Road and the time would be 1 pm. Who is creating all this confusion now," Bhattacharya added.
However, the Jharkhand unit of the BJP claimed that the chief minister has been absconding for the last 18 hours, fearing action of the ED, and urged Governor C P Radhakrishnan to take cognisance of the matter as the "credibility and reputation of Jharkhand are at stake".
"According to media sources, late at night Hemant ji, wearing slippers and covering his face with a sheet, ran away from his Delhi residence on foot. Ajay Singh, the security personnel of a special branch who went with him to Delhi, is also missing," Jharkhand BJP president Babulal Marandi claimed in a post on X.
"The mobile phones of both of them have also been switched off. Since then, the ED and Delhi Police are searching for them. There cannot be any other example of such gross negligence regarding the security of the chief minister," the former CM said.
The ED questioned Soren at his official residence in Ranchi on January 20 in the case. To its fresh summons to him asking him to confirm his availability for questioning on either January 29 or January 31, Soren sent an e-mail but did not confirm the date or time, ED sources told PTI.
In the email, Soren alleged that the ED's actions were "motivated by political agenda" to disrupt the state government's functioning and claimed that its insistence to record his statement again on or before January 31 reeked of malice. "Preserve video recording of seven-hour questioning (of January 20) to make available to the court of law," Soren said in the email while agreeing to record his statement on January 31 at the Ranchi residence.
The chief minister's office is yet to respond. However, Jharkhand Governor said he was keeping a watch on the situation in the state in the wake of the ED summons to the CM. "I am keeping a watch on the overall situation as the custodian of the Constitution. It is the job of the Governor, I am doing it. We will cross the bridge when it comes," he told reporters.
Jharkhand Congress president Rajesh Thakur alleged that confusion was being created surrounding Soren's location under a "well-designed conspiracy". "Attempts are being made to create a perception that the President's rule will be imposed in the state. People are spreading rumours that the CM is missing," Thakur said.
