# India

C’garh’s Rasputin moment: Influential deputy secretary arrested

Such has been Saumya Chaurasiya’s influence in the state government that even senior-most officials would report to her and merrily follow her instructions.

Statesman News Service | Raipur | December 2, 2022 9:22 pm

C’garh’s Rasputin moment: Influential deputy secretary arrested

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s unusually powerful Deputy Secretary Saumya Chaurasiya was arrested on Friday by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after months of grilling and raids by the federal agencies including the Income Tax.

Saumya, a 2008 batch officer of State Administrative Service, was arrested after more than 4 hours of questioning by the ED sleuths Friday afternoon. Such has been her influence in the government that even senior-most officials would report to her and merrily follow her instructions.

She was produced before the court of Additional Sessions Judge Ajay Singh Rajput this evening for money laundering where the ED demanded a 14-day remand for further interrogation. The court however, granted her 4-day remand to the ED.

On the Central agency’s radar since IT raids on her premises in March 2020, Saumya assumed a Rasputin-like influence and standing in the power corridors in Chhattisgarh after Congress came to power in 2018.

Earlier, the same court had sent IAS Samir Vishno, coal trader Surya Kant Tiwari, Sunil Agrawal and Laxmikant Tiwari to jail. Raigarh Collector Ranu Sahu, his IAS husband JP Maurya and several other high profile officials have also come under ED radar and may also face the similar fate.

ED sleuths, on October 11, raided more than 10 premises of businessmen, politicians and powerful bureaucrats widely believed to be close to Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel who warned last month that his police will act tough against any complaint of hounding by the central agencies.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel meanwhile vowed to fight with all his might against the arrest of his Deputy Secretary Saumya Chaurasiya. “As I have been maintaining, the arrest of my Deputy Secretary is an act of politics. We shall fight against it with all our might”, Baghel tweeted.