New Delhi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after being questioned in the alleged land scam for over seven hours on Wednesday.

Soren also alleged that the officials tried to ‘harass’ and ‘malign’ him and his entire community

Earlier on Wednesday evening, Hemant resigned as Jharkhand Chief Minister moments after questioning by the ED came to an end.

Soren was questioned as part of a probe into a “huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by the mafia” in Jharkhand, according to the probe agency.

Prior to his arrest, amid the ongoing probe and questioning by the Enforcement Directorate, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has registered a case against ED officials under the SC/ST Act.

According to the police, Chief Minister Soren in his complaint said that his image has been maligned by ED officials. CM Soren said that ED officials reached his Delhi residence without any information and propagated false news.

CM Soren also alleged that the officials tried to ‘harass’ and ‘malign’ him and his entire community. “I have come to learn from the reports in the electronic media that on 30th January 2024, the above named persons have leaked selective misinformation that a blue BMW car seized from the said premises belongs to me huge sums of illicit cash belonging to me was found at the said premises. I am not the owner of the car of BMW which the above named persons claim to have seized. I do not own any illicit cash,” he added.

In recent developments, the Enforcement Directorate disclosed that it had seized Rs 36 lakh in cash and two cars during its search at Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s residence. This information was shared by sources within the central agency on Tuesday.

By filing the case, Hemant Soren is trying to make a political point that he is not guilty and is a victim of vendetta politics.