The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has claimed that Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has “gone missing” amid Enforcement Directorate’s seizure of his BMW car and documents during a raid at the latter’s Delhi residence.

According to reports, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials do not have any information about Soren’s whereabouts.

“Today, the honour and respect of the people of Jharkhand were destroyed by our Chief Minister Hemant Soren ji, just by going missing,” BJP MP from Jharkhand, Nishikant Dubey, wrote on ‘X’.

Earlier on Monday, a team of ED officials raided his Delhi residence in connection with the ongoing probe into a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam.

The ED had urged the Jharkhand CM to confirm his availability for questioning on January 29 or 31. Soren’s party Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) said that he had given time to ED on January 31.

The ED officials, however, stayed at his home throughout Monday (January 29) and seized some documents and a BMW car that was allegedly bought using the illegal funds.

Meanwhile, Section 144 CrPc has been imposed within 100 meters radius of Jharkhand CM Soren’s residence, Raj Bhavan and ED office in Ranchi.

Earlier on Monday, JMM General Secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya said that CM Soren was ready to appear before the central agency on January 31 and asked who was creating the confusion?

“CM has gone to Delhi for personal work, and he will return as well. He was called on January 31. We are ready for January 31. You asked us to tell you the place and time, and we told you the place would be CM’s residence on Kanke Road and the time would be 1 pm. Who is creating all the confusion, then? The way the political situation is being presented is against democratic values,” Bhattacharya said.

Meanwhile, the Congress, which is a part of the Jharkhand alliance government, has alleged the “confusion” that is being created is part of a conspiracy to impose President’s rule in the state.

“Attempts are being made to create a situation for the imposition of President’s rule in the state. People are spreading rumours that the CM is missing,” Jharkhand Congress chief Rajesh Thakur said.