'Won't accept defeat,' says Hemant Soren after ED arrest in money laundering case

Before his arrest, Hemant Soren resigned as Chief Minister of Jharkhand and submitted his resignation to Governor CP Radhakrishnan at the Raj Bhavan and was subsequently transferred to the ED office in Ranchi.

Jharkhand News: “I will not give up in vain. I will not accept defeat,” former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said late on Wednesday evening after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case.

In a post on his official

“It's a break, life is a big struggle. I fought every moment, I will fight every moment. But I won't beg for a compromise. What in defeat, what in victory, I am not afraid at all, smallness does not touch me now, you are great, keep it up. The pain of the hearts of our people. I will not give up in vain, I will not accept defeat,” read a loosely transcribed post by Soren on X after his arrest by the ED.

I think it's good
I think it's good
I think I do
I think I did well

I think I do
I think it's good
I think it's good
I think I do

I think it's good
I think it's good
I think that it…

Sure! pic.twitter.com/oduWMRGOmQ

— Hemant Soren (@HemantSorenJMM) January 31, 2024

Hemant Søren arrest

Hemant Soren, the de facto chief of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), was arrested by the ED on Wednesday evening after nearly seven hours of interrogation over money laundering in an alleged land fraud case, an official said.

Prior to his arrest, Soren resigned as chief minister of Jharkhand and submitted his resignation to Governor CP Radhakrishnan at the Raj Bhavan and was subsequently transferred to the ED office in Ranchi.

Citing sources, PTI reported that 48-year-old Soren was allegedly “evasive” in his answers during his interrogation and was therefore taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The ED Soren is expected to appear before a special PMLA court and the agency will seek his remand for questioning in custody, the sources said.

According to the report, the central investigation agency asked Soren 15 questions during the second round of questioning in the case. He was questioned for the first time on January 20.

The JMM leader was shown the typewritten statements he had recorded at the agency and before taking him into custody, his signature was sought on these documents. However, it is unclear whether he signed them.

What is the case against Hemant Soren?

The Enforcement Directorate – which investigates financial crimes – has charged Hemant Soren with money laundering in connection with the alleged illegal possession of certain properties, apart from his alleged links with members of the 'land mafia'.

According to the ED, the investigation is related to a “huge racket of illegal transfer of ownership of land by mafia” in Jharkhand. The agency has so far arrested 14 people in these cases, including 2011 batch IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan, who was director of the state social welfare department and deputy commissioner of Ranchi.

An employee of the Jharkhand land revenue department, Bhanu Prasad Prasad, was also arrested by the agency in the case.

The ED is probing the alleged “huge amounts of crime proceeds generated through manipulation of official documents by showing fake sellers and buyers under the guise of forged/fake documents to acquire huge plots of land worth in crores”.

Champai Soren will be next CM

After Hemant Soren's resignation, his loyalist and Jharkhand Transport Minister Champai Soren was named by the ruling party as the first candidate to take charge as the next chief minister of the state.

“Hemant Soren has resigned from the post of CM. We have the support of 47 MLAs and have proposed to form a new government. Champai Soren will be our new Prime Minister. We have not been given time to take oath…,” Jharkhand Chief Minister Alamgir Alam told reporters, according to ANI.

In the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led alliance, which also includes Congress and RJD, has 47 MLAs, including 29 from JMM, 17 from Congress and 1 from RJD.

The BJP has 25 members and the AJSU party has three MLAs. The NCP and the CPI (ML)L each have one member, with the exception of three independent members.

(With input from agencies)