ED arrests JMM leader, 3 others in Jharkhand land scam case

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 17

Two months after former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an alleged land grab-linked money laundering scam, the agency last evening arrested Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Antu Tirkey and three others in the case.

The ED conducted raids against Tirkey, Priyaranjan Sahay, real estate trader Vipin Singh, and Irshad on Tuesday. Later, they all were taken to ED’s office in Ranchi for questioning and were subsequently arrested.

Former JMM national committee member Tirkey had left the party in 2019 after failing to secure an Assembly election ticket. However, he returned to the JMM fold in 2022. According to sources, the raids were conducted based on the statements of another accused in the case, Saddam Hussain, who is in police custody. He is reportedly a close aid of Soren, and was arrested on January 31 in a forgery case related to land grabbing.

Another accused, Afshar Ali, who was allegedly involved in forging documents to usurp large tracts of land in Jharkhand, was arrested earlier.

The ED on March 30 had filed a chargesheet against Soren and three others in the case and sought to confiscate the 8.86-acre land that was allegedly acquired by forgery. In another development, JMM leader Nazrul Islam on Wednesday apologised for making a derogatory statement against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said his remark was not intended to hurt anyone.

His apology came a day after the state BJP demanded Islam’s arrest for the comment that the prime minister “would be buried 400-foot below” in the election, instead of winning 400 seats.

“During a political speech, I was speaking against the PM’s claim of winning 400 seats. I intended to say that they (BJP-led NDA) would not get 400 seats and they will be out of power,” Islam said in a video statement.

The JMM central committee member said, “I am an educated person and a professor. I cannot say such words against the PM. But if, for some reason, my words have accidentally hurt anyone, I sincerely apologise.” He made the remarks against PM Modi at a public meeting in Sahibganj, Jharkhand, on Sunday. The BJP’s Sahibganj unit lodged a complaint with the police against Islam on Wednesday. The JMM said the party did not support such remarks by any leader.

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