RANCHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a major crackdown has conducted raids at multiple locations across Jharkhand in connection with a money laundering case related to alleged irregularities in implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission scheme under Drinking Water and Sanitation Department on Monday, October 14.
The premises raided in the crackdown launched in early hours of Monday, includes of Drinking Water and Sanitation minister in Jharkhand government, Mithilesh Thakur, his close aides and an IAS officer, Manish Ranjan.
More than 20 locations, including of minister Mithilesh Thakur’s brother Vinay Thakur, his personal secretary Harendra Singh, a businessman, and several other engineers of the department were raided reportedly in state’s capital Ranchi, Chaibasa, and Garhwa. The raids are still underway and more details are awaited.
Notably, IAS Manish Ranjan is already under scrutiny in connection with another case being investigated by the central agency linked with alleged irregularities during allotment of tenders under Jharkhand Rural Development Department and the agency had also summoned and questioned Manish Ranjan in May this year.
Moreover, the IAS official had also served as a secretary in the state’s Drinking Water and Sanitation Department for a considerable period. The ministry is currently headed by Mithilesh Thakur, a Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) legislator from Garhwa constituency.
Meanwhile, reacting to the raids conducted by the ED, Mithilesh Thakur said “You know what the target is. We have become used to all this now. This is not a raid by ED but a political raid. If ED works transparently, then we will fully cooperate. ED should not become a puppet.
#WATCH | Ranchi, Jharkhand | On ED raids against his brother and PS, State Minister Mithilesh Thakur says, “You know what the target is. We have become used to all this now. This is not a raid by ED but a political raid…If ED works transparently, then we will fully cooperate.… pic.twitter.com/bLycuRWLEZ
— ANI (@ANI) October 14, 2024
He further remarked that “Even before the Lok Sabha polls, there was pressure on me to join the BJP. I said I will hang until death but I won’t. They know that they will lose (in Jharkhand). We will not bow down. ED should disclose what they found in the raid. so that the information comes in the public domain.”
The case pertains to alleged irregularities in implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission, a Union Government scheme aimed at providing safe and clean drinking water through household tap connections. According to the media reports, a public interest litigation alleging irregularities and scam worth thousand of crores has already been filed before the court.
Arrest of Alamgir Alam
It is worth mentioning here that earlier the ED apprehended former Jharkhand minister for Rural Department Alamgir Alam after the latter appeared before the agency on May 15. Following his arrest, the agency claimed that Alam was not cooperating during the preliminary inquiry.
Alam’s arrest was made on the heels of ED raids on multiple location in connection with the case and apprehended Alam’s PS Sanjiv Lal and his domestic help Jahangir. The agency had also recovered a huge cash haul of Rs 37 crore from separate locations during the raids.
Later on the agency during the hearing of the case had submitted that the arrested Congress leader Alam has a share of 1.5 percent in the illegal money generated as commission money for managing and allotting tenders of the Rural Development Department.
