India: ED raids premises of associates close to Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren

The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday raided the premises of close associates of Hemant Soren in Ranchi, chief minister of the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand. The raids were part of an ongoing alleged illegal mining case in Sahibganj.

According to news agency ANI, the federal agency carried out the raids on Soren’s press advisor Abhishek Prasad alias Pintu, Sahibganj deputy commissioner Ram Niwas Yadav as well as an architect in connection with an illegal mining case. 

The raids come a day after Soren refused to pay heed to the seventh summon issued by the ED, requesting him to join the investigation.

“Since you have not come to the office of the Directorate of Enforcement in obedience to the summonses issued to you, we are giving you this last opportunity to record your statement under section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, at the place, date and time, mutually convenient to you as well as the undersigned (ED), which should be within 7 days of receipt of this notice/Summons,” read the seventh ED summon. 

Soren has refused to comply with the authorities saying summons are ‘illegal’ and that he would challenge the entire investigation in a court of law. 

“He has also accused ED of making the media trial of the whole matter. In his reply, he also said that he had already given the details of the properties. He has also accused ED of trying to destabilize the government,” a source was quoted as saying by ANI.

Notably, Soren’s press advisor has been previously questioned in the Sahibganj case over allegations that he owned mines there. 

“Yes, I do own mines, but the consent to operate was given to me during (former CM) Raghubar Das’s time,” he told The Indian Express newspaper earlier. 

There have been speculations that Soren’s party Jharkhand Mukti Morcha was planning to make his wife Kalpana Soren the chief minister in case ED makes some breakthrough in its investigation. However, Soren refuted the speculations, saying there was not an iota of truth to them. 

(With inputs from agencies)