JMM enforce bandh in Sahibganj to protest ED summons to CM

Ranchi, January 17: Ahead of the Enforcement Directorate (ED)’s questioning of Chief Minister Hemant Soren on January 20 in the alleged land scam, the ruling party in Jharkhand has opened a front against the agency.

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) workers enforced  a 9-hour bandh in Sahibganj.  Earlier, the party had warned the ED that there was anger among the people. The anger against ED in Jharkhand is being expressed at a time when the central agency team has recently been attacked in West Bengal.

Raising slogans against the Central Investigation Agency, ruling party workers stopped traffic at many places in Sahibganj and shops were forcibly closed.

Bandh was total in Barhait constituency of the district, which is the constituency of Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

ED had sent a letter to Chief Minister Hemant Soren on January 13 and asked him to be available for questioning between January 16 and 20. In response, Soren told ED that his statement could be recorded at his residence on January 20.

JMM Sahibganj District President Shahjahan Ansari claimed that the bandh is peaceful in the entire district and people are cooperating in it.

He said ambulances, trains and milk vans were exempted from the bandh. Ansari said, ‘Our Barhait MLA and Chief Minister Hemant Soren formed the government with full majority. But they are being harassed at the behest of BJP. We have called a bandh against this.

JMM general secretary and spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya on Tuesday expressed anger over the ED action and said that this has angered the people of the state. He said, ‘If ED is late in understanding the warning, then we may see gruesome results of anger among the people.’ He has also advised that ED should keep its working style factual, transparent and clear.