Jharkhand mining scam: ED interrogated Hemant Soren for 9 hours, asked more than 100 questions

The ED on Thursday questioned Chief Minister Hemant Soren for about nine hours in the case of money laundering of Rs 1,000 crore through illegal stone mining in Jharkhand. On ED's summons, Hemant Soren had reached the ED's zonal office on Airport Road, Ranchi at 12.05 pm, from where he left at 9.35 pm. After the questioning was over, his wife Kalpana Soren herself reached the ED office to pick him up. Soren can be called for further questioning.

According to sources, a team of three ED officers asked him about 100 questions. Check books signed by Hemant Soren were found in a raid at the house of Soren's special representative Pankaj Mishra, already arrested in the illegal mining. Hemant Soren was asked why he had given the checkbook to Pankaj Mishra.

Checkbook was given to the representative to help the needy According to sources, Soren said on this that while being in politics, many times the needy have to be personally helped financially. The check book was with his representative for the same purpose. He was also asked whether he was aware of the illegal mining racket running under the patronage of Pankaj Mishra. Whether any complaint about this reached them or not and if it did, did they take any action or not?

Hemant Soren was also questioned about his relationship with power broker Prem Prakash and businessman Amit Agarwal, arrested in the money laundering case. On the basis of the evidence collected by the ED during the raids in cases of illegal mining, several information was sought from the CM. It is being told that CM did not give any answer to many questions of ED.