NEW DELHI: RANCHI: Amid the reports of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials reaching the Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s residence at New Delhi for questioning in a land scam case, security at his official residence in Ranchi has been beefed up.
According to the sources, Jharkhand police has also alerted all 24 districts in the state especially those having the stronghold of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).
The sources indicated that the visit could be linked to his fresh deposition in an alleged land fraud case in which the ED had questioned him at his official residence in Ranchi on January 20.
Additionally, security at the BJP office and for key BJP figures has been increased following a warning from JMM leaders and workers.
The warning indicated that the anger of JMM workers over the ED's actions in Jharkhand could escalate. In response to the ED's questioning of CM Hemant Soren, JMM MLAs, leaders, and workers have been instructed to gather in Ranchi.
Notably, a team from the Enforcement Directorate reached the Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s residence in Delhi and Delhi’s Jharkhand Bhavan on Monday morning as part of an investigation related to money laundering linked to a land scam.
Meanwhile, Hemant Soren has arrived in Delhi on January 27 and is said to be staying in the national capital for the last two days.
Soren’s programme which was scheduled to take place in Jamshedpur, Palamu and Giridih have been postponed till further notice.
The agency had issued fresh summons to him last week asking him to confirm his availability for questioning on either January 29 or January 31, sources had said.
The investigation pertains to a "huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by the mafia" in Jharkhand, according to the agency.
Earlier on January 27, ED had sent a letter to CM Hemant Soren once again, asking him to decide time and place for questioning either on January 29 or 31.
The Enforcement Directorate, in a letter, requested Soren to choose a time and location on either January 29 or 31 for questioning. If he failed to do so, they would visit his official residence for the inquiry.
ED shot off this letter after Soren skipped its ninth summon and sent a reply expressing his inability to appear before it, citing pre-engagements before March 31.
Notably, after skipping ED summoned for the eighth time in land scam case, CM Soren agreed to join the probe, following which, he was questioned by ED at his residence in Ranchi on January 20 for more than 7 hours. Now, ED wants to question him once again.
ED is carrying out an investigation in the Ranchi land scam case on the basis of the documents recovered from Bhanu Pratap's house, one of the key accused in land scam case.
According to ED, several important documents related to land were found in the raid from the house of Sub-Inspector Bhanu Pratap Prasad of Badagain zone.
Certain documents are allegedly linked with the CM related to the alleged grab of a costly parcel of tribal land in Ranchi.
BY Mukesh Ranjan
(With inputs from PTI)
