500 CRPF Personnel Tried To Enter Soren's House During ED Quizzing, Alleges JMM; Probe Sought

ED Questions Soren: ED Jharkhand's ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has alleged that as many as 500 personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) tried to enter the residence of Chief Minister Hemant Soren without "any permission" during the Enforcement Directorate's (ED's) questioning of him there in connection with a money laundering case on Saturday.

Nearly 2,000 CRPF personnel were deployed in the vicinity of the CM's residence and prohibitory orders under CrPC section 144 were also imposed in the area, JMM general secretaries Supriyo Bhattacharya and Vinod Kumar Pandey said on Sunday. "In the meantime, hundreds of CRPF personnel, around 500, in buses tried to enter CM residence without any permission or information. The act is provocative and illegal," JMM alleged. 

The party has claimed that the alleged act was aimed at provoking JMM supporters, who were demonstrating nearby, into attacking the CRPF personnel. "They wanted the agitators and party workers to attack CRPF personnel so that the state government can be accused of failure of the constitutional system and the ground for imposing President's rule can be prepared," JMM said in its statement cited by news agency PTI.

JMM demanded that the BJP-ruled Centre carry out a high-level inquiry into the alleged intrusion by CRPF personnel and sought action against officers concerned. "Otherwise, the party will adopt the path of agitation," it added. The BJP, which is in the Opposition in Jharkhand, hit back at the JMM, claiming that thousands of the regional party's supporters gathered near the CM's residence despite prohibitory orders being in place.

"Instead of visiting to ED office, the CM calls the probe officials at his residence. On the other hand, party workers are allowed to gather near the CM's house. If there were no CRPF personnel, ED officers might have been in big trouble," BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo said. The ED had said that the heavy deployment of CRPF personnel was aimed at deterring any attacks like the one wherein the central agency's teams were attacked during raids on TMC leaders in neighbouring West Bengal.

(With inputs from agencies)