India police summon reporters in former Jharkhand Chief Minister’s case against financial law enforcement officials News
Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
India police summon reporters in former Jharkhand Chief Minister’s case against financial law enforcement officials

Police in the Indian state of Jharkhand summoned reporters from four New Delhi news channels, Indian media reported Tuesday, after former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren filed a police report against senior Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials. Reporters from News18, Zee News, Aaj Tak and News24 were summoned as part of the ongoing investigation.

The ED, India’s economic law enforcement agency, raided Soren’s Delhi residence in January, seizing ₹3.6 million, an SUV and “incriminating” documents. Soren resigned as the chief minister of Jharkhand before his arrest on January 31. The case against Soren relates to allegations that he fraudulently acquired 8.5 acres of land in Jharkhand’s capital Ranchi.

Police want the journalists to disclose how they learned about the ED seizures.

Soren also filed a police report against the ED under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 before his arrest. Soren alleged the ED’s investigation against him was to “harass and malign him and his entire community.”

The police report was registered under SC/ST Act sections 3(1) (p) (instituting false, malicious or vexatious legal proceedings), (r) (intentional insult or intimidation to humiliate to any place within public law), (s) (abusing by caste name in any place within public view), (u) (promoting feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will).

The ED challenged the police report in the Jharkhand High Court, which granted a stay on the police proceedings against them.