Ranchi (Jharkhand): Jharkhand is in the middle of a major political tumult as Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday night resigned from his post shortly before he was arrested after over seven hours of questioning by Enforcement Directorate officials at his Ranchi residence in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam.
Champai Soren, Minister of Transport, Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Caste & Backward classes, is going to be the next Chief Minister, sources said. Hemant Soren, sources said, was arrested by ED officials after the questioning. The ruling alliance in the state has elected Champai Soren as JMM legislative party leader, Congress Chief Rajesh Thakur said.
Soren, sources said, went to Governor C P Radhakrishnan along with the ED team to submit his resignation after the questioning. Amid heavy security cover, Enforcement Directorate officials questioned him for several hours today in the alleged money laundering case. Sources say that Soren was arrested by ED officials by the end of the questioning as he was not "cooperating with the probe".
Soren, 48, who is also the executive president of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), had earlier been questioned in connection with the case on January 20. The interrogation, however, remained incomplete on that day when he was grilled for more than seven hours, an official said.
Soren was questioned as part of a probe into a "huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by the mafia" in Jharkhand, ED officials have said. Earlier in the day, Soren lodged an FIR against ED personnel at the SC/ST police station here over searches conducted by the agency at his Delhi residence on Tuesday.
Soren alleged that the ED conducted the search operation at his residence in the national capital to "harass and malign him and his entire community", the officials said, quoting the FIR. Since Monday, ED sleuths carried out extensive searches at Soren's Delhi residence and claimed they seized Rs 36 lakh, some "incriminating " documents, and his BMW car 'bought using illegal funds'.
In Ranchi, security personnel are equipped with high-resolution body cameras to keep track of the activities around Soren's residence, amid heavy police deployment. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC are effective from 9 am to 10 pm within a radius of 100 metres at key locations in the state capital, including the CM House.
Here are the live updates from this big story:
- 10.55 PM
A team of doctors has reached the ED office for Hemant Soren's medical checkup. - 10.45 PM
"ED, CBI, IT etc. are no longer government agencies, now they have become BJP's 'eliminate opposition cell'. The BJP itself, steeped in corruption, is running a campaign to destroy democracy in its obsession with power," tweets Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. - 10.43 PM
One more feather of corruption in cap of INDIA bloc, says BJP after Soren resigns as Jharkhand CM. - 10.15 PM
Jharkhand Governor CP Radhakrishnan tweets that Hemant Soren's resignation from CM's post has been accepted.Jharkhand Governor CP Radhakrishnan tweets that Hemant Soren's resignation from CM's post has been accepted.
- 10.00 PM
Hemant Soren has been arrested by Enforcement Directorate officials after a day of questioning in the alleged land scam. The development caps days of drama between Soren and the central agency. - 9.50 PM
Hemant Soren arrives at his residence after submitting his resignation as Jharkhand CM to Governor CP Radhakrishnan at Raj Bhavan in Ranchi. - 9.45 PM
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge has reacted to the ED action against Hemant Soren. "The one who did not go with Modi ji will go to jail. Imposing ED against Jharkhand Chief Minister, Shri Hemant Soren and forcing him to resign is a blow to federalism. Intimidating opposition leaders by making the provisions of PMLA draconian is part of the BJP's tool kit. The BJP's work of destabilizing the opposition governments one by one as part of a conspiracy is continuing. What went into the BJP's washing machine is clean as white, what didn't go is tainted? If democracy has to be saved from dictatorship then BJP will have to be defeated. We will not be afraid, Will continue to fight from Parliament to the streets," Kharge wrote in the tweet in Hindi. - 9.32 PM
We have staked claim to form the new government, have support of 47 MLAs: JMM legislative party leader Champai Soren. - 9.27 PM
Congress MLA Dipika Pandey Singh says, "We are called at the ED office & given time. After that, we were insulted and asked to leave...Raj Bawan is working as BJP's agent..." - 9.05 PM
Congress leader Subodh Kant Sahay says, "Is BJP corruption not corruption?... BJP's policy and intention cannot be discussed anymore... The BJP has destroyed the federal structure..." - 8.55 PM
JMM MP Mahua Maji says, "The CM (Hemant Soren) is in ED custody. The CM has gone to the Governor with the ED team to submit his resignation... Champai Soren will be the new Chief Minister... We have enough numbers..." - 8.40 PM
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has resigned as CM after seven hours of grilling by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case in Ranchi today. Champai Soren, a senior minister in the Jharkhand government, will be the next CM. - 7.50 PM
Sources say that Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant, who is being grilled by ED for the last several hours in Ranchi, is likely to be arrested this evening. Soren party leaders, sources said, have sought a meeting with Governor C P Radhakrishnan. - 6.40 PM
Hundreds of ruling JMM workers and supporters from various districts of the state gathered in Ranchi's Morabadi ground on Wednesday in protest against the questioning of Chief Minister Hemant Soren by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Holding party banners and posters and displaying bows and arrows, the supporters claimed that the CM was being targeted by the BJP-led central government through the probe agency for his tribal identity. "Hemant Soren is being targeted because he is a tribal. But, he is like a god to us. We can go to any extent for him," Jharna Pal, a JMM leader who came here from Jamshedpur, told PTI. "If he (CM) goes to jail, we will also go with him," she said. - 5.25 PM
A major rift has emerged in the ruling Soren family with JMM lawmaker Sita Soren, the elder daughter-in-law of party supremo Shibu Soren, openly saying she would oppose any move to make Kalpana Soren the chief minister. This comes against the backdrop of strong rumours that Hemant Soren's wife Kalpana will be the first choice for the CM post if her husband is arrested. Sita Soren, while speaking to PTI, strongly objected to any move to make Kalpana Soren the leader of JMM legislative party. Read More... - 4.52 PM
Ranchi Senior Superintendent of Police, Chandan Kumar Sinha, while speaking to PTI says: "An FIR has been lodged against some senior ED officials... we got the application from the chief minister." Sinha did not provide any other details regarding the FIR. An ED team searched Soren's Delhi residence on Monday and camped there for almost 13 hours. - 4.07 PM
Hemant Soren has lodged an FIR against ED sleuths at SC/ST police station in Ranchi over the agency's searches at Delhi house, an official said on Wednesday. - 3.55 PM
As ED officials are grilling Hemant Soren, legislators of the ruling JMM-led coalition gathered at Soren's residence to express their solidarity with the CM. The alliance MLAs have also signed a letter of support for Hemant Soren, as speculations are rife that the chief minister's wife will be handed over the reins in the event of his arrest. - 2.07 PM
Family rift within Sorens widens. - 1.41 PM
ED officials ask for additional forces. - 1.15 PM
ED officials reach Soren's house for grilling. As per sources, interrogation has begun. - 1.05 AM
I don't accept Kalpana as CM: Sita Soren as BJP wants Soren to resign. - 1.00 PM
The Jharkhand government has constituted a three-member team headed by the secretary of the finance department to ensure law & order in the state. - 12.25 PM
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led coalition MLAs begin gathering at Hemant Soren's residence ahead of the ED query session.
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