DELHI: In a surprising turn of events, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Jharkhand has accused Chief Minister Hemant Soren of being on the run for the past 18 hours, allegedly to evade questioning by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) regarding an ongoing money laundering investigation. The chief minister reportedly made an impromptu trip to Delhi in response to fresh summons issued by the federal agency.
State BJP president Babulal Marandi took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to claim that Hemant Soren fled from his Delhi residence late at night, donning slippers and covering his face with a sheet. He asserted that Ajay Singh, the security personnel accompanying Soren, is also missing. Both their mobile phones have been switched off, raising concerns about the security of the chief minister.
The ED team visited Soren's Delhi residence on Monday to question him in connection with a money laundering investigation related to an alleged land fraud case. Earlier, the agency had questioned the chief minister at his official residence in Ranchi on January 20, subsequently issuing fresh summons for him to appear either on January 29 or January 31.
Official sources claimed that Hemant Soren is currently "missing" and cannot be contacted by the federal agency. During the search at Soren's residence, the ED reportedly seized a Haryana-registered BMW car and recovered documents relevant to the investigation.
The money laundering probe is centered around an alleged "huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by the mafia" in Jharkhand, according to ED sources. The agency has already arrested 14 individuals, including a 2011-batch IAS officer, Chhavi Ranjan, who served as the director of the state's Social Welfare Department and deputy commissioner of Ranchi, in connection with the case.
As the search for Chief Minister Hemant Soren intensifies, questions arise about the political ramifications and the impact on the governance of the state. The BJP has criticized the apparent negligence in ensuring the security of the chief minister during a critical investigation. The unfolding events are sure to keep both political observers and citizens on the edge as the situation continues to develop.