A stone was thrown at an Enforcement Directorate (ED) vehicle as its team was leaving the residence of former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday after conducting raids in connection with an alleged liquor scam. Officials said their vehicles were blocked by Congress supporters gathered outside Baghel’s home, and one vehicle’s windshield was hit by a stone. The agency is considering filing a police complaint regarding the incident.
ED raids Baghel’s residence, seizes Rs 30 lakh in cash
The ED carried out searches at 14 locations in Durg district, including the Bhilai premises of Baghel’s son Chaitanya Baghel and his alleged associate Laxmi Narayan Bansal alias Pappu Bansal. The searches, conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), began around 7 am with CRPF personnel providing security.
Officials allegeED raids Chhattisgarh ex-CM Bhupesh Baghel’s son Chaitanya Baghel, others in liquor ‘scam’ probed that Chaitanya Baghel, who shares the Bhilai residence with his father, was a “recipient” of the proceeds of crime from the liquor scam. During the raid, ED officials seized approximately Rs 30 lakh in cash, using a counting machine at the former chief minister’s residence.
Also read: ED raids Chhattisgarh ex-CM Bhupesh Baghel’s son Chaitanya Baghel, others in liquor ‘scam’ probe
Bhupesh Baghel later claimed that ED officials took Rs 33 lakh in cash but did not seize any gold or jewelry. He also questioned the legitimacy of the investigation, saying, “I asked them for the ECIR (Enforcement Case Information Report) number, but they said there was none. Then what is this investigation about?”
Congress calls raid a ‘political conspiracy’
As the raids unfolded, Congress leaders and workers staged protests outside Baghel’s residence, calling it a politically motivated move by the BJP-led central government. The party alleged that the raids were meant to distract from critical issues being raised in Parliament as the Budget session reconvened.
ED’s probe into the Chhattisgarh liquor scam
The Enforcement Directorate has claimed that the alleged liquor scam in Chhattisgarh led to losses of over Rs 2,100 crore to the state exchequer. The agency has already arrested several individuals in the case, including former minister Kawasi Lakhma, businessman Anwar Dhebar (brother of Raipur Mayor Aijaz Dhebar), former IAS officer Anil Tuteja, and telecom service officer Arunpati Tripathi.
The alleged scam took place between 2019 and 2022 when Chhattisgarh was under the Congress government led by Baghel. The ED has so far attached assets worth Rs 205 crore in the case.
Legal and political battle intensifies
The Supreme Court had earlier quashed the ED’s first ECIR in this case, which was based on an Income Tax Department complaint. However, the agency later filed a fresh case after urging the Chhattisgarh Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to register a new FIR based on material shared by the ED. The EOW/ACB filed this FIR on January 17 last year, shortly after the Congress lost the Chhattisgarh assembly elections to the BJP. The case names 70 individuals and companies, including former excise minister Kawasi Lakhma and former chief secretary Vivek Dhand.
According to the ED, illegal liquor sales generated massive commissions that were allegedly distributed “as per the directions from the highest political executives of the state.”
With the ED’s actions intensifying, the investigation has further escalated political tensions in Chhattisgarh, setting the stage for a fresh confrontation between the Congress and the BJP-led Centre.
