Ranchi
After more than seven hours of questioning for the second time, the ED on Wednesday took Chief Minister Hemant Soren in its custody in the money laundering case related to a land scam. The agency then accompanied him to the Raj Bhawan where he tendered his resignation from the top post, which has been accepted.
Senior JMM leader and State Transport Minister Champai Soren has been chosen by the ruling alliance as its leader to be the new Jharkhand Chief Minister contrary to speculations about Hemant’s wife Kalpana Soren. JMM old guard Champai is a known loyalist of party patriarch Shibu Soren and is also known as ‘Jharkhand Tiger’.
In the meantime, a writ petition has been filed in the Jharkhand High Court by Hemant against the ED summons. The case will be taken up at 10:30 am on Thursday. For her part, Kalpana Soren reached the ED office here after the agency took the former CM there following his arrest. Some Adivasi organisations have called for a Jharkhand Bandh on February 1 to protest the ED action.
While all the MLAs and senior leaders of the ruling alliance of JMM, Congress and RJD, who followed Hemant, sought to meet Governor CP Radhakrishnan to press for administering oath of office to Champai tonight itself, the Raj Bhawan refused to oblige and even did not give them audience. It will be interesting to watch how the Raj Bhawan reacts.
Confirming the resignation and developments, Jharkhand Minister Alamgir Alam said, “Hemant Soren has resigned from the post of CM. We have the support of 47 MLAs. We have proposed to form a new government. Champai Soren will be our new CM. We have not been given time for swearing in.”
Earlier, taking his fight to the next level, Hemant on Wednesday filed an FIR under the stringent SC/ST Act against officials of the Enforcement Directorate over the searches at his Delhi residence saying the action harassed and maligned him and his entire tribal community.
In the FIR against senior ED personnel at the SC/ST police station here under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Hemant has alleged that the ED conducted the search operation at his residence in the national capital to harass and malign him and his entire (Scheduled Tribe) community.
“An FIR has been lodged against some senior ED officials. We got the application from the Chief Minister,” Ranchi Senior Superintendent of Police, Chandan Kumar Sinha, told news agency PTI.
Mentioning himself as a “member of Scheduled Tribe”, Hemant has in his FIR named ED officials Kapil Raj, Deovrat Jha, Anupam Kumar, Aman Patel, “unknown others” and “all officers of the Directorate of Enforcement, Ranchi Zonal Office, having their office at Hinoo, Ranchi”.
His move came even as the ED sleuths started quizzing him in the land scam case for the second time on Wednesday, after January 20.
Hemant said he was in Delhi on Saturday and Sunday and found out on Monday that the search was carried out on the premises. “This purported search was without any notice to me nor was my presence required on 29th January 2024 at New Delhi by the abovenamed persons,” he said in his complaint.
“In fact, the abovenamed persons had required me to be present at Ranchi on 29th and 31 January 2024,” he added.
On Seizure Of BMW And Cash From His Delhi Residence
“I am not the owner of the car of BMW make which the abovenamed persons claim to have seized. I do not own any illicit cash. The abovenamed persons and unknown others who are not members of any Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe have done the aforesaid acts intentionally to humiliate me in public,” he alleged.
“My family members and I have suffered and experienced immense mental, psychological and emotional harm because of the acts committed by the above-named persons and unknown others who are not members of any SC or ST. I call upon you to register this FIR and take steps in accordance with law,” he stated in the complaint.
Hemant claimed the officers leaked “selective misinformation” that a blue BMW car seized from the premises was his and a huge amount of illicit cash belonging to him had also been found.
During the search, the ED claimed to have seized Rs 36 lakh, an SUV and some “incriminating” documents allegedly connected to the purported money laundering case against the former Jharkhand Chief Minister.
Family Feud Surfaced
While it is said there is general consensus about his wife Kalpana Soren assuming Chief Ministership in the event of Hemant’s arrest, family feud in the family surfaced over the issue. Hemant’s older sister-in-law Sita Soren told a news channel that she would never accept Kalpana’s leadership.
