SUMAN K SHRIVASTAVA
Ranchi, February 10: The investigation into the land scam reached a critical juncture today as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) continued to quiz former Chief Minister Hemant Soren in the presence of other players.
Congress MP Dhiraj Sahu
The ED grilled Congress MP Dhiraj Sahu about his alleged connection to ex-Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren and a BMW SUV that the agency confiscated from the JMM leader’s Delhi home on January 29. The vehicle was said to be registered at an address in Gurugram, and the ED suspects that it might be linked to Sahu.
According to sources, the ED extracted data from the laptop seized from the Gurugram address and questioned Sahu on why he should give an SUV to Soren when he, as chief minister, enjoyed a fleet of vehicles at his disposal.
64-year-old Dhiraj Sahu gained notoriety in December, when the Income-tax department seized an unprecedented amount of cash—Rs 351.8 crore—during searches against Boudh Distillery Pvt. Ltd. (BDPL), an Odisha-based company promoted by Sahu’s family.
The ED also questioned Soren’s Press Advisor, Abhishek Prasad alias Pintu, and his close associate Binod Singh for the second consecutive day.
Revenue official Bhanu Pratap Prasad
The ED team took revenue official Bhanu Pratap Prasad to the Bargain Circle office to know his modus operandi for illegally transferring land and tampering with the original records. Circle Officer Manoj Kumar was also present with them.
Notably, the ED arrested Hemant Soren on January 31 on money laundering charges related to an alleged illegal land acquisition and possession case. He is under the ED custody till February 12.
Sahibganj DC Ram Niwas Yadav
Meanwhile, Sahibganj DC Ram Niwas Yadav, who had earlier ignored the ED summons, citing a state government circular, underwent interrogation today.
The ED raided his official and private premises in Rajasthan on January 3.
Yadav, a 2015 batch IAS officer, has been posted as DC in Sahibganj since October 2020. The ED had questioned him last year on January 23 for seven hours as the maximum number of illegal mining and transportation was done during his tenure.
Ram Niwas Yadav’s role
The ED had grilled Yadav on his role and responsibility for stopping the illegal mining of stone and granite.
The ED has said that the illegal mining scam involves at least Rs 1250 crore, and mafias, officers, politicians and business people are involved.
Yadav had been under the scanner of the ED for his proximity with Pankaj Mishra, Hemant Soren’s MLA representative. His role in probing the case where a ship carrying trucks carrying stone chips met with an accident in the Ganga River in Sahibganj was also under scanner.
Yadav was then unable to reply satisfactorily on why he was following Mishra’s instructions and helping him indulge in illegal mining.
