The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday carried out search operations at the residence of Congress leader and former minister Harak Singh Rawat in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, as part of a money laundering investigation. The searches were conducted at multiple premises in Uttarakhand, Delhi, and Chandigarh, news agency PTI reported, citing sources.
Rawat had quit the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the 2022 Uttarakhand assembly polls and joined the Congress. According to PTI, the investigation conducted by the probe agency is understood to be linked to alleged illegal activities in the state's Corbett Tiger Reserve.
Searches were also carried out at the premises of Doon Institute of Medical Sciences and individuals identified as Virender Kandari and Narender K Walia, PTI reported, citing sources. Rawat, 63, had quit the BJP ahead of the 2022 Uttarakhand assembly polls and joined the Congress party. Rawat has also been part of the BSP in the past.
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ED Probe Linked To 2 Different Cases
The investigation carried out by the probe agency is linked to two different cases and allegations against Rawat and his associates including "illegal" felling of trees and construction in the state's Corbett Tiger Reserve and "fraudulent" acquisition of land in Dehradun district for an educational institute run by a trust linked to the politician and his family, as reported by PTI.
The said land was acquired in a "fraudulent" manner by Rawat's wife Deepti Rawat and some others and the building for Doon Institute of Medical Sciences was constructed on it by Shrimati Poorna Devi Memorial Trust.
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