As many as five tribal organisations — Kendriya Sarna Samity, Rajhi Parha Sarna Prarthana Sabha, Adivasi Sena, 22 Parha Samity and Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikash Parishad — and Hatia Visthapith Morcha (a non-tribal outfit fighting for rights of displaced people in Hatia in Ranchi) staged protests Raj Bhavan over Central probe agency—Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons to Chief Minister Hemant Soren
The tribal bodies’ representatives claimed that the ED is being used by the BJP-led Centre to harass elected governments in non-BJP ruled states. “In Jharkhand, they have crossed all limits by repeatedly summoning a tribal chief minister who had already answered them in November 2022,” said Kendriya Sarna Samity president Ajit Tirkey.
“Since last year, they have been issuing summons and this year, they even threatened that if the chief minister does not attend to their summons, then they will come to him. We have also seen the governor supporting the ED and this is the reason we are staging the protest near Raj Bhavan,” added Ajit Tirkey
JMM supporters had enforced a bandh in Sahibganj district on Wednesday in protest against the ED summoning Soren, JMM leaders have already hinted at massive resentment among the tribals against the ED summons to the chief minister.
Soren had on Monday agreed to interrogation and asked the ED to record his statement on January 20 afternoon. There were reports that the ED had written a letter to Soren on Saturday and given him five days (16-20 January) to record his statement and was asked to inform the time and place for recording his statement within two days.
Meanwhile, in view of the questioning of Chief Minister Hemant Soren on January 20, ED has written a letter to the state police headquarters asking them to strengthen the security arrangements. ED has written in a letter to the police headquarters that on January 20, ED officials will go to Chief Minister Hemant Soren to interrogate him at his residential office. It should be ensured that ED officials do not face any security related problems while coming and going for questioning, and that law and order is not disrupted in any way.
After the ED letter, Jharkhand Police Headquarters is also in action. Preparations have been made to make tight security arrangements in Ranchi on January 20. On the other hand, Chief Secretary L Khyangte held a meeting with state officials on this issue on Thursday and gave them instructions.
HC stays CBI probe in mining scam
Sahibganj Deputy Commissioner Ramniwas Yadav and CM's advisor Abhishek Prasad Pintu, who are facing ED action in the Rs 1250 crore mining scam case in the district may get relief after the Jharkhand High Court put a stay on the CBI investigation into illegal mining in Nimbu Pahad in Sahibganj till further orders. Actually, ED had registered ECR on the basis of the same FIR in which CBI was registering the case and investigating. It is noteworthy that the state government had filed a petition in the High Court demanding a stay on the CBI investigation. It was argued that the agency was investigating the case without the consent of the state and the instructions of the High Court. The state government argued that the High Court had directed the CBI to conduct a preliminary inquiry into why Vijay Hansda was insisting on withdrawing his petition and not to investigate illegal mining there. The next hearing of the case will now be on February 9.