'ED Decided To Arrest Me In Planned Manner': Jharkhand Ex-CM Soren In Video Message

Former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren said the ED tried to tarnish his image by conducting raids, however, they found no evidence against him.

Former Chief Minister of Jharkhand and president of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Hemant Soren who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday night released a a video message, in which he claimed that his arrest was executed in a “planned manner”. He said he was grilled for an entire day prior to his arrest, but the ED found no evidence against him and tried to “tarnish his image” by conducting raids at his Delhi residence.

Hemant Soren was arrested in connection to an alleged land scam case after more than seven hours of questioning by the ED. Soren, in his video message, said that he was arrested in a case which is not connected to him. "They say that I own 8.5 acres of land, even though they have found no evidence”, claimed Soren. He said that while he respects the court’s order, he doesn’t think that will have enough time considering the situation in the country. 

Soren said that the time has come to "wage a wasr" against a feudal system that oppresses the poor, the dalit, and the tribals. He said that there is no evidence against him in the land scam probe and that it was manufactured with "fake certificates" and "fake complaints".

"I will not bow down...Ultimately truth will prevail," Soren said in a video message recorded just before his arrest.
The federal agency had been issuing summons to Soren in connection with an alleged money laundering case, but Soren had consistently declined to appear before the agency.

Soren’s arrest came shortly after he submitted his resignation to the Governor, following which state Transport Minister Champai Soren took on the role of the Chief Minister. 

Commenting on the arrest, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said, "We are not at all surprised. Wherever the opposition is in power, efforts are being made to finish or silence them. Ed, IT, CBI have become courtiers in the government's court”, according to PTI.

Hemant Soren took charge as the youngest chief minister of Jharkhand at the age of 48. While he was not the first choice of his father and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) supremo Shibu Soren for inheriting his political legacy, Hemant was groomed in politics after his elder brother Durga died of suspected kidney failure in 2009.

Soren's tenure in the Chief Minister's Office has not been smooth.

In 2022, he was staring at disqualification as an MLA, which would have resulted in him losing the CM's post, as a mining lease given to him was allegedly renewed after he became the state's chief minister. That year, three Congress MLAs from the state were caught with nearly Rs 49 lakh in cash in neighbouring West Bengal. The Soren-led ruling coalition had alleged that they were part of an attempt by the BJP to topple the government.