ED raids house of Punjab CM’s nephew in sand mining case
Punjab: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday morning, just weeks before assembly elections, carried out raids at ten different locations belonging to Punjab Chief Minster Charanjit Singh Channi’s nephew Bhupinder Singh Honey, in connection with a Prevention of Money Laundering case pertaining to illegal sand mining in Punjab.
A source said that the ED team conducted first raid at the residence of Honey which is at Homeland Heights early Tuesday morning. No one was allowed to leave the house. The ED was scanning various documents and computers.
The source said that raids of the ED were underway at ten locations across Punjab in illegal sand mining case.
The political parties in Punjab had earlier accused the Chief Minister many times over illegal mining in his own constituency. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had tweeted several times regarding the ongoing illegal sand mining racket. He had tweeted that Punjab CM Channi was not doing anything to stop it.
Local police were already looking into the matter. And on the basis of the local police probe, the ED initiated a money laundering probe.
As of now, the ED has not made any statement regarding the ongoing raids. The sources said that once the raids are over, only then the probe agency will release any statement.
During the raid the ED recorded the statement of those who were present at the house of Honey, the nephew of the Chief Minister.
A large number of people had gathered outside the house and local police were called to avoid any untoward incident.
Further probe in the matter is underway.
Meanwhile, the Congress has expressed unhappiness over ED raids on close relative of Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi. The party on Tuesday slammed the BJP for misusing the government agency while the party says it is ready to take the battle in Punjab and will tell the people how the BJP is trying to harass country’s only Dalit Chief Minister.
The Congress will address press conferences in the entire state beginning Wednesday in Chandigarh where Navjot Singh Sidhu, Randeep Surjewala and Harish Chaudhary will jointly address a press conference followed by others in the state.
The Congress alleged that ED means ‘Election Department’ of the BJP. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Randeep Surjewala said, “The BJP is working with prejudice and taking revenge against only Dalit Chief Minister in the country Sardar Charanjit Singh Channi.”
The party wants to take on the BJP politically as it is linking the whole episode to Dalit and issue of Punjab’s pride as Dalit’s population in Punjab is significant to which AAP is also targeting.