New Delhi: On Wednesday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted searches at various locations in Chhattisgarh, including the home of former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, according to officials.
CBI teams visited Bhupesh Baghel’s residences in Raipur and Bhilai, as well as the homes of a senior police officer and a close associate of the former chief minister, as reported by the news agency PTI, citing unnamed sources.
The CBI has not disclosed the specific reason for these searches.
In response to this development, Bhupesh Baghel’s office released a statement indicating that the CBI arrived at his residence just before his planned trip to Delhi for a meeting of the Drafting Committee established for the All India Congress Committee (AICC) meeting.
“Former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is set to travel to Delhi today for the ‘Drafting Committee’ meeting related to the AICC gathering scheduled in Ahmedabad (Gujarat) on April 8 and 9. The CBI has reached his residences in Raipur and Bhilai prior to this,” the statement noted in Hindi.
Recently, the Enforcement Directorate also conducted searches at Bhupesh Baghel’s residence in connection with an alleged liquor scam.
The Congress party has formed a 15-member drafting committee, which includes Bhupesh Baghel, who serves as the national general secretary, and Sachin Pilot, the general secretary in charge of Chhattisgarh. Randeep Surjewala has been appointed as the convenor.
This committee is tasked with drafting key issues for the national convention, strategizing for upcoming elections, articulating the party’s positions on political, economic, and social matters, enhancing the party’s manifesto, and preparing a rebuttal against the shortcomings of rival and ruling parties with supporting evidence. It has been announced that over 3,000 leaders are expected to attend the convention in Ahmedabad.
ED conducts raids at Baghel’s residence
On March 10, the Enforcement Directorate executed a search at the residence of Bhupesh Baghel in Bhilai as part of an investigation into money laundering allegations involving his son related to a purported liquor scam.
In addition to this location, searches were carried out at 13 other sites, including the premises of Laxmi Narayan Bansal, also known as Pappu Bansal, who is believed to be a close associate of Chaitanya Baghel, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The searches lasted approximately eight hours, during which the ED confiscated around ₹30 lakh in cash along with various documents.
Subsequent to the raids, there were unverified reports indicating that the ED had summoned Chaitanya to provide a statement.
Bhupesh Baghel, who was at home during the searches, asserted that the actions of the investigative agency stemmed from the BJP’s frustration.
On March 11, the main opposition party, Congress, protested against the actions by burning effigies of the BJP-led central government and the ED.
According to the ED, the alleged liquor scam took place between 2019 and 2022, during the period when the Congress government, led by CM Baghel, was in power in Chhattisgarh.
The agency previously stated that the Chhattisgarh liquor “scam” resulted in a significant loss to the state treasury, enriching the beneficiaries of a liquor syndicate with over ₹2,100 crore in illicit proceeds.
