ED Officials reach Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s residence for questioning on the alleged land scam

Officials from the Enforcement Directorate on Saturday reached the residence of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in Ranchi for questioning in connection to the alleged land scam. The Jharkhand CM and executive president of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) had skipped seven ED summonses earlier.

The central agency had issued a letter requesting the Chief Minister's availability for questioning between January 16 and 20. In response, Soren instructed the ED to record his statement at his residence on January 20. As per the ED, The inquiry focuses on a "huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by the mafia" in Jharkhand.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested 14 individuals in connection with the case, INCLUDING Chhavi Ranjan, a 2011-batch IAS officer who held positions as the director of the state Social Welfare Department and deputy commissioner of Ranchi.

The Chief Minister was given a ‘last chance’ by the ED to provide his statement regarding an alleged land scam. Responding to the agency, Soren asserted that the summons were ‘illegal.’ Hemant Soren, who had been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in mid-August 2023, opted to overlook the summons, stating his engagement in the state's Independence Day celebrations. Despite subsequent summons for appearances on August 24 and September 9, he chose not to attend, citing prior commitments. Following this, the ED issued a fourth summons to the Jharkhand CM, directing him to appear before the agency on September 23.

Security measures were implemented tightened around Soren's residence ahead of the Enforcement Directorate’s visit to prevent untoward incidents from taking place, particularly in the face of protests by JMM workers and various tribal leaders. Senior superintendent of police in Ranchi, Chandan Kumar Sharma informed that over 1,000 security personnel were mobilized, establishing a three-layer security arrangement.​