Hemant Soren arrested, Champai Soren appointed as new Jharkhand CM
The ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has named Champai Soren as the state's next chief minister. The development came after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioned incumbent Chief Minister Hemant Soren for six hours in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. Subsequently, Soren was formally arrested by the ED. By then, he had already quit from his post.
Why does this story matter?
The ED is investigating over a dozen land deals, including a defense land, wherein mafias, middlemen, and bureaucrats allegedly connived to forge documents. The documents date as far back as 1932. Soren's legal team, in response, has accused the Centre of "using the ED" and said the pace of the attacks accelerated with the approaching general elections and the formation of the opposition alliance.
Soren held meeting ahead of questioning
Ahead of the questioning, Soren met with legislators from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the Congress on Tuesday. Previously, it was speculated that Soren's wife, Kalpana Soren, could be named the next chief minister. Champai, on the other hand, was widely regarded as the second choice for the CM position. He was the Cabinet Minister of Transport.
CM submitted his resignation to the governor: Maji
ED searched Soren's residence in South Delhi
The announcement also comes two days after an ED team visited Soren's Delhi residence and seized two BMW cars and Rs. 36 lakh in cash. The ED team searched his 5/1 Shanti Niketan residence and stayed there for hours to question him. However, Soren was not found, prompting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to claim he had gone "missing." He later resurfaced in Ranchi.
Soren lodges FIR against ED officials
On Wednesday, Soren filed an FIR against ED officials under the SC/ST Act, accusing them of "tarnishing his image." According to SSP Ranchi Chandan Sinha, Soren filed the complaint alleging that ED officials arrived at his Delhi residence without prior notice and spread false information, causing harm to his reputation. So far, the ED has summoned Soren 10 times.
What is the case about?
The case in question is regarding a 7.16-acre land parcel in Ranchi. The ED says it was acquired through "proceeds of crime" involving the illegal sale of Indian Army land. Dilip Sharma, a tax collector in the Ranchi Municipal Corporation, filed a police complaint against Pradip Bagchi last June, alleging that he used fraudulent documents to get the holding number of an Army property.
Investigation unraveled syndicate of land mafias, middlemen, bureaucrats
The ED then filed a case, and investigations found that the 455 decimal (about 4.5 acres) tract originally belonged to BM Laxman Rao, who gave it to the Army after independence. During the inquiry, the ED discovered that a syndicate of land mafias, middlemen, and bureaucrats had fabricated documents to falsely identify Bagchi as the fake owner. Bagchi is among the arrested individuals.
