Raipur: Coming down heavily on Enforcement Directorate for conducting searches at several locations in the State, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday alleged that people are being beaten up and threatened to sign documents.
“They (ED) are beating up people and pressurizing them to sign documents and threaten them(Maarpit Kar Rahe Hain… Maar Maar Kar Likhwa Rahe Hain…Dastkhat Karwa Rahe Hain),” CM Baghel alleged.
The scathing attack by Baghel comes at a time when Enforcement Directorate have been conducting searches at several locations in Raipur, including at the office belonging to Congress leader Ram Gopal Agarwal.
The Congress leader said that they raided 50 places in a month. “How much money and property were seized from it?” CM Baghel asked further.
He also questioned the Central probe agency to come clean on whether the crackdown is being done with an anti-corruption motive or political motive.
“We are against corruption and there should be a probe. But let them [ED] decide whether they are raiding for the purpose of arrest or with a political motive behind?” he told reporters here.
ED on Tuesday reportedly carried out search operations at separate locations in Raipur at the office belonging to a Congress leader Ram Gopal Agarwal at Gore Parisar under Civil Lines police station and residence of industrialist Kamal Sarda at Shankar Nagar in mining and alleged coal levy scam.
CRPF personnel remained present at both locations as the ED officials conducted raids.
He also informed that he has written to Home Minister Amit Shah aprising about the people being threatened by ED officials and had also mentioned it during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Earlier on Tuesday Baghel took a swipe at said the Centre by saying that it seems that ED has no office in BJP-ruled states.
“Industrialists, businessmen, transporters, MLAs, officers, farmers — there is no section left which has not been raided by ED. But it seems there is no ED office in MP, UP, Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Karnataka. As long as there was Uddhav Thackeray’s Government in Maharashtra, central agencies were active there. When there was a change of Government there, the agencies became of no use there,” Baghel had said.
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