Enforcement Directorate Arrests Hemant Soren After His Resignation as Jharkhand Chief Minister

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In a significant turn of events, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) made its first-ever arrest of Hemant Soren on Wednesday, just moments after he stepped down from the position of Jharkhand chief minister. Soren was apprehended under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) as part of the agency’s investigation into an alleged land scam in the state, according to sources familiar with the matter.

This development follows closely on the heels of an elaborate operation by the federal agency to detain the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader in Delhi, with teams stationed at his residence and the airport. However, Soren managed to evade capture in the national capital and returned to Ranchi by road on Tuesday.

Confirming the arrest, an official stated to Hindusta Times, that there is substantial evidence implicating Soren as the principal beneficiary in the alleged land-related irregularities in Ranchi. The investigation uncovered a network of brokers and businessmen involved in fabricating land deeds through forged records in registrar offices and subsequently selling the parcels.

“We have evidence that Hemant Soren had acquired land under scrutiny in Jharkhand, which was unlawfully obtained through falsified documents,” remarked an officer on condition of anonymity.

A significant factor leading to Soren’s arrest is the involvement of Kolkata-based businessman Amit Kumar Agarwal, who was arrested by the ED on June 7 last year. Agarwal is suspected to have managed tainted funds for several politicians, including the then Chief Minister of Jharkhand, as alleged in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in the Jharkhand High Court in 2021 by lawyer Rajeev Kumar.

Despite evading questioning by the ED on multiple occasions since August last year, Soren eventually relented and agreed to be interviewed on January 20 at his residence in Ranchi. However, the agency subsequently summoned him for further questioning on January 29 or 31.

The ED team conducted an extensive interrogation at Soren’s official residence in Ranchi on Wednesday, lasting nearly seven hours. Following his resignation submitted to the governor, Soren was formally arrested around 10 pm at the ED’s Ranchi office.

As the investigation progresses, Soren’s arrest marks a significant development in the ongoing probe into alleged financial irregularities, shedding light on the complexities of governance and accountability in the state of Jharkhand.

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