ED Questions Jharkhand CM For Over Seven Hours In Land Scam Case, Hemant Soren Says Did Nothing Wrong

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren was questioned for over seven hours at his official residence in Ranchi by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an alleged land scam case.

The questioning comes after Soren skipped the summons seven times and agreed to appear following eight summons.

Seven officials of the ED, including three from Delhi, reached Soren’s residence at 1 pm and questioned him till 8:30 pm. During the questioning, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) workers protested outside the house.

After the questioning, while ED officials did not interact with media, sources cited by The Hindu said that Soren was asked about 100 questions and the ED may follow him for a second round of questioning.

After questioning, Soren waved to the supporters and said, "Our Opposition is trying to dominate us with the help of ED and other investigating agencies, but we are not afraid of anything because we have not done anything wrong."

The questioning happened in tight security as the JMM had warned that there is huge resentment among people over the summons issued by the ED to Soren, which may take an ugly shape.

The investigation in the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) case revolves around the ED's allegations of a "huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by the mafia" taking place in Jharkhand.

The agency has already arrested 14 individuals in connection with the case, including Chhavi Ranjan, a 2011-batch Indian Administrative Service officer who previously served as the director of the state social welfare department and deputy commissioner of Ranchi.