Jharkhand CM comes out after 7 hrs ED’s grilling, smells conspiracy against him

Will not bow down, final nail to be put in coffin of conspirators: Hemant Soren

Ranchi, January 20: A confident looking Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren alleged that a conspiracy was hatched against him after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) interrogated him in a money laundering case for more than seven hours on Saturday.

Addressing a large crowd of supporters outside his residence where he was interrogated, Soren said he was not scared and would face the “bullets first”.

“A conspiracy was hatched against me, but the final nail in the coffin of the conspirators will be put by us… We will not be scared, your leader will face the bullets first and keep your morale high,” Soren told JMM workers who had been outside his house since the morning, and refused to leave even after ED officers left.

“I extend heartfelt thanks to you for your unflinching support… Hemant Soren will stand behind every party worker,” he said.

ED officers reached Soren’s residence around 1 pm, and began questioning him.

The investigation pertains to a “huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by the mafia” in Jharkhand, according to the probe agency.

Soren, 48, who is also the executive president of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), earlier skipped seven summonses of the agency. He finally gave his consent after the probe agency summoned him for the eighth time.

Enforcement Directorate sleuths continued to question Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren at his official residence here on Saturday in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam.

The entire area has turned into a virtual fortress with heavy deployment of security forces, an official said.

The ED personnel reached Soren’s residence around 1 pm, the official said, adding, the questioning has been underway for more than six hours now.

Security personnel, deployed in large numbers at the spot, are using high-resolution body cameras to keep track of activities around the house, he said.

The measure comes in the wake of the recent attack on ED officials in West Bengal during a raid pertaining to an alleged multi-crore ration distribution scam.

The Ranchi district administration has also imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC near Soren’s house, disallowing any demonstration, carrying weapons and public meetings.

“The restrictions will be in place till 11 pm on Saturday,” Ranchi SDO Utkarsh Kumar

Meanwhile, the JMM convened a meeting of its legislators at the chief minister’s residence.

“The ED is questioning the CM… We are also holding our meeting… Any strategy about the future course of action will be made based on the outcome of the questioning,” JMM general secretary and spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya.

A large number of JMM supporters shouted slogans against ED and BJP-led Centre accusing them of targeting Hemant Soren.

The investigation pertains to a “huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by the mafia” in Jharkhand, according to the central probe agency.

It has so far arrested 14 people in the case, including 2011-batch IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan, who served as the director of the state’s Social Welfare Department and deputy commissioner of Ranchi.