Congress boycotts Chhattisgarh assembly proceedings over ED action against Bhupesh Baghel's son
Raipur (PTI): Congress MLAs on Friday boycotted the proceedings of the Chhattisgarh assembly for the day as a mark of protest against the Enforcement Directorate's action against former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel's son, and accused the central probe agency of trying to harass the opposition.
The ED on Friday arrested Chaitanya Baghel from his residence in Bhilai town of state's Durg district in a money laundering case linked to alleged liquor scam. He was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after fresh raids were carried out at his home, where the father-son duo reside.
Speaking in the House, Leader of Opposition Charan Das Mahant asked whether the government has been functioning as per the democratic system or not.
"The way ED has been carrying out raids...it is trying to put pressure on us and harass us and our family members. Our son (Chaitanya Baghel) has been picked up (by the ED) on his birthday," he said.
"We strongly oppose the move and we boycott the proceedings of the assembly," Mahant added.
Subsequently, the Congress members, including Bhupesh Baghel, walked out of the House.
Friday is the last day of the ongoing monsoon session of the legislative assembly.
The alleged liquor scam in Chhattisgarh, according to the ED, was orchestrated between 2019 and 2022 when the state was governed by the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government.
Assets worth about Rs 205 crore of various accused have been attached by the agency as part of this investigation so far. In 2024, the Supreme Court quashed the ED's first ECIR (FIR) in this case, which was based on a complaint from the Income Tax Department.
According to the ED, the alleged commission generated through the illegal sale of liquor was shared "as per the directions from the highest political executives of the state."
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Meghalaya: Interstate ATM theft racket busted, 6 arrested
Shillong (PTI): An interstate racket involved in ATM thefts across several states has been busted, with the arrest of six persons in connection with a break-in at an electronic banking outlet in Meghalaya's Ri-Bhoi district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused were allegedly involved in breaking into an ATM of the Meghalaya Cooperative Apex Bank on April 5, 2024, they said.
Three of the accused were arrested from Barpeta in Assam, while the remaining were apprehended from Haryana, police said.
Ri-Bhoi SP Giri Prasad M said a special police team was constituted to investigate the case.
"With coordinated efforts and assistance from Assam and Haryana Police, we were able to apprehend the accused involved in the ATM break-in," he told PTI.
The case was registered at Umiam police station under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to police, the gang used gas cutters to break open the ATM safe and fled with the cash within minutes.
"The group is part of a larger network involved in similar ATM thefts across different states. Further investigation is underway to dismantle the entire network," the SP added.
