An interview with lawyer Kapil Sibal in Delhi, a mysterious 1,300 kilometre journey to Ranchi from Delhi that may have involved a Kolkata pit-stop, and leaving the questioning of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) mid-way to go to Raj Bhawan and resign as the chief minister — Hemant Soren left nothing to chance in the three days before his arrest by ED.
Soren’s interview with Sibal was made public by the lawyer on Thursday evening, close on the heels of Soren being sent to Ranchi jail by the court post his arrest.
Soren came to Delhi on January 27. In the interview given in Delhi, perhaps a day before he gave the ED a slip on January 29, Soren tells Sibal that “there is no FIR against him, still the ED is issuing him one summon after another since 2022”. This was also the last location of Soren’s cavalcade spotted by the agencies in Delhi.
In the wee hours of January 29, at around 2.30 am, Soren is believed to have left his Delhi residence — 5/1 Shanti Niketan. Soren’s party has claimed that the ED soon after had reached here along with armed personnel.
Soren was next seen about 36 hours later in Ranchi at his residence on the afternoon of January 30. Sources now say it was clear that Soren did not want to be arrested by the ED in Delhi, and wanted to first resign as CM so as to ensure that President’s Rule is not imposed in the state citing a constitutional crisis.
When asked where he had been for the last 36 hours, Soren evaded a direct answer and said “I live in your hearts”. It is believed that Soren took an SUV car ride of 1,300 kilometres from Delhi to Ranchi along with two security men. Another theory is that he flew to Kolkata from Delhi by a charter flight and from there the West Bengal government helped Soren travel onward by road to Ranchi with escort.
Once in Ranchi, Soren’s priority was to ensure a succession plan was in place as he was sure of ED arresting him on January 31.
The ED, in its remand application in court on February 1, claimed that Soren was intimated of his arrest during questioning on January 31 evening but he insisted that would first resign and left the questioning mid-way to go to the Raj Bhawan without ED’s permission.
ED officers accompanied him to the Raj Bhawan and he was arrested subsequently after he had emerged from the back gate of the Raj Bhawan. Soren wanted to make sure that the Governor was handed over the party’s decision to elect a new leader and support of majority MLAs before his arrest by the ED. This, Soren felt, would make it difficult for the Centre to impose presidential rule.
Soren has now been lodged in Ranchi jail since Thursday evening. ED wants his custody for further interrogation.
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