Hemant Soren Arrested by ED in Land Fraud Case

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on charges of money laundering, immediately after resigning from his position. 

The arrest follows over seven hours of questioning regarding an alleged land fraud case. Soren is expected to appear in court today, where the probe agency will likely seek custody, presenting evidence against him.

The ED had questioned Soren for the second time, posing 15 questions during the session. Earlier, on January 20, he underwent initial questioning.

Amid allegations by the BJP that Soren was evading the ED’s probe into the land scam case, he chaired a meeting with ruling coalition MLAs on Tuesday. 

The ED had visited his Delhi residence on Monday, seizing cash, luxury cars, and incriminating documents.

Champai Soren, a loyalist of Shibu Soren, has staked his claim to form the new government in Jharkhand with the support of 47 legislators. 

The arrest of Hemant Soren marks the first instance of a sitting Jharkhand Chief Minister being taken into custody in a corruption case. 

Opposition leaders from the I.N.D.I.A. bloc met to discuss the situation and condemned the arrest, alleging that investigative agencies have turned into a tool for eliminating political opposition. 

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticized the BJP, accusing it of running a campaign to destroy democracy in its pursuit of power.