NEW DELHI: India’s anti-financial crimes agency has arrested a prominent opposition leader, Hemant Soren, just hours after he resigned from his position as the chief minister of Jharkhand state.
Soren, a member of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) party, faces corruption allegations, which he denies. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) took him into custody after a seven-hour interrogation.
Soren’s party has nominated transport minister Champai Soren as the successor for the position of Chief Minister in the eastern state.
Challenging his arrest as politically motivated, Hemant Soren has approached India’s Supreme Court, with the hearing scheduled for Friday. This incident adds to a growing list of opposition leaders under high-profile investigations by central agencies in India.
The charges against Soren are related to a piece of land in Ranchi city, the Jharkhand capital, allegedly owned by him. The ED alleges that he acquired the property through the “proceeds of crime” by illegally selling land owned by the Indian army. Soren refutes the accusation, asserting that the property was attributed to him wrongly.
ED officials claim to have issued multiple summons to Soren, who reportedly refused to appear for questioning. Earlier this week, officials visited his residence in Delhi, finding him absent but seizing 3.6 million rupees and a car. Soren later surfaced in Ranchi, pledging to provide his statement to the agency on Wednesday.
Shortly after submitting his resignation, Hemant Soren was arrested, with his party, the JMM, labeling the investigation as a politically motivated “witch-hunt.” The party accuses the federal government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), of using central agencies to target opposition leaders ahead of the general elections. The BJP denies allegations of political interference.
India’s Congress party, part of the opposition coalition, also condemned Soren’s arrest, describing it as a “blow to federalism.” The JMM is a constituent of the Congress-led coalition challenging the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in the upcoming elections.
Rahul Gandhi, a Congress leader, criticized the BJP for its alleged corruption, accusing the party of attempting to undermine democracy.
Several other chief ministers and opposition leaders in India are currently facing corruption allegations, highlighting the intensified political scrutiny by investigative agencies.
