Punjab CM Charanjit Channi's nephew arrested ahead of polls
Officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday arrested Bhupendra Singh Honey—a nephew of Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi—in an illegal sand mining case. He was arrested under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), following hours of questioning. He would be produced before a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Friday.
Why does this story matter?
The high-profile arrest comes just days before the Punjab Assembly elections. The case against Honey had surfaced last month when ED officials had conducted a raid at premises belonging to him. At the time, Channi and other Congress leaders had accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led (BJP) central government of misusing probe agencies. Punjab is set to go to polls on February 20.
ED probe based on 2018 FIR
In January, the central probe agency had reportedly recovered Rs. 8 crore from the premises linked to Honey. Property transactions, several mobile phones, gold worth over Rs. 20 lakh, and a Rolex watch were also seized during the searches. The ongoing ED investigation is based on a 2018 First Information Report (FIR) filed at Rahon Police station in Nawanshahr district.
What had Channi said about raids?
Reacting to the ED raid, Channi had said, "This is nothing but an attempt to target me, my ministers, and Congress workers." He had added it could be a retaliatory act against the Prime Minister's security breach incident.
Elections in Punjab
Elections in Punjab will be held in a single phase on February 20 and results will be declared on March 10. The Congress is fighting to retain power while the Aam Aadmi Party has set its eyes on expanding power out of Delhi. The BJP has partnered with former CM Amarinder Singh and the Akali Dal has allied with the Bahujan Samaj Party.
