ED Team Attacked Outside Bhupesh Baghel’s House Amid Liquor Scam Probe
A team of Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials was attacked outside former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s residence in Durg on Monday during raids linked to a Rs 4,000-crore liquor scam probe. The incident followed searches at 14 locations, including Baghel’s son Chaitanya’s home in Bhilai. The ED plans to file a case against the assailants after Congress workers clashed with police and obstructed the team.
The ED began searches early Monday at properties tied to Baghel and his associates under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Agitated Congress workers gathered outside Baghel’s Durg home, clashing with police and manhandling ED personnel. The team’s vehicle was briefly blocked as protests escalated.
The raids targeted Chaitanya Baghel and associate Laxmi Narayan Bansal, alias Pappu Bansal, in Bhilai. ED sources allege Chaitanya received proceeds from the scam, estimated at Rs 2,161 crore. The agency claims the syndicate caused massive losses to the state exchequer between 2019 and 2022.
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Baghel called the raids a “political vendetta” by the BJP-led Centre. “ED arrived at 7:30 am without an ECIR number,” he said, adding, “They won’t find anything, just like seven years ago.” He linked the timing to the Budget session’s resumption in Parliament.
The Congress termed the raids a “conspiracy” to divert attention from key issues. “This is to manage headlines on a crucial Parliament day,” a party statement read. Workers protested outside Baghel’s home, condemning the ED’s actions as targeted harassment.
The ED alleges a criminal syndicate siphoned off over Rs 2,100 crore through illegal liquor trade schemes. Several arrests, including state officials and businessmen, have been made. The cumulative worth of the scam now stands at Rs 4,000 crore, per investigators.
The ED is set to register a case against the protestors involved in the attack. Further searches and interrogations are expected as the liquor scam probe deepens. Political tensions may rise with the Congress vowing to challenge the Centre’s moves in Parliament. Updates on legal actions are awaited.
