Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren Files FIR Against ED Officials

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has lodged a complaint against senior officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at the SC/ST police station in Ranchi. According to reports, the complaint, filed under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, alleges harassment and defamation by the ED officials during their search operation at Soren's New Delhi residence on Monday. The Chief Minister, belonging to a Scheduled Tribe, claims that the ED's actions were aimed at maligning him and his entire community.

Ranchi Senior Superintendent of Police, Chandan Kumar Sinha, confirmed the filing of an FIR against some senior ED officials, stating, "We got the application from the chief minister." This move comes as CM Soren is being questioned by the ED at his Ranchi residence in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. Speculation is rife about his imminent arrest, and reports suggest that his party has made preparations for such an eventuality.

The ED's operation at Soren's Delhi residence took a dramatic turn on Monday when officials, attempting to question him, found him absent. During the search, the ED seized ₹36 lakh in cash and a BMW X7, valued at over ₹1 crore. In response, Soren clarified in his complaint on Wednesday that he is not the owner of the BMW and does not possess any illicit cash.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had raised concerns about Soren's whereabouts, labeling him 'missing.' Babulal Marandi, the BJP's Jharkhand chief, even shared a poster seeking information about Soren and offering a reward of ₹11,000 for details on his location. However, Soren made an appearance in Ranchi on Tuesday, criticizing the ED's search of his home in his absence as "uncalled for" and "unconstitutional." The Chief Minister's party asserted that the ED had accepted Soren's request to be questioned at his Ranchi residence on Wednesday.

In the formal complaint, Soren, identifying himself as a "member of Scheduled Tribe," named specific ED officers—Mr. Kapil Raj, Mr. Deovrat Jha, Mr. Anupam Kumar, Mr. Aman Patel—as well as "unknown others" and "all officers of the Directorate of Enforcement, Ranchi Zonal Office, having their office at Hinoo, Ranchi." He alleged that the search operation at Jharkhand Bhawan in New Delhi was intended to harass and malign him and his entire community.

Soren stated that he was in Delhi on Saturday and Sunday, learning about the search on Monday, which was carried out without any notice to him. He highlighted that the ED officials had required his presence in Ranchi on January 29 and 31, contradicting the purported search in New Delhi on the same dates.

Refuting ownership of the BMW seized by the ED, Soren accused the officials of deliberately leaking "selective misinformation." "I am not the owner of the BMW car, which the abovenamed persons claim to have seized. I do not own any illicit cash," he asserted in the complaint. Soren added that these acts were intentional, aimed at humiliating him publicly, causing immense mental, psychological, and emotional harm to him and his family.