Hemant Soren arrested, quits as Jharkhand CM after ED interrogation

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Hemant Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday in connection a money laundering case, India Today reported.

Earlier in the evening, he had resigned as the state’s chief minister after being questioned by the central law enforcement agency.

Party MP Mahua Maji told reporters that Cabinet minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Champai Soren will be the new chief minister.

MLAs from Jharkhand’s ruling party were at the governor’s official residence on Wednesday night. A curfew was imposed within a 100-metre radius of the chief minister’s residence, the Raj Bhavan and the Enforcement Directorate’s office in Ranchi.

#WATCH | Ranchi, Jharkhand: JMM MP Mahua Maji says, "The CM is in ED custody. The CM has gone to the Governor with the ED team to submit his resignation... Champai Soren will be the new Chief Minister... We have enough numbers..." pic.twitter.com/Pbumz1cUg0— ANI (@ANI) January 31, 2024

On Tuesday, Hemant Soren had agreed to record his statement in the case before the Enforcement Directorate on January 31. The case pertains to an alleged scam linked to the ownership of a 7.16-acre land parcel in Ranchi, which the central agency claims was acquired through the “proceeds of crime” involving illegal sale of Army land.

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader had told the central agency in...

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