Chattisgarh: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monady, conducted raids at 14 locations in Chhattisgarh, including the residence of former CM Bhupesh Baghel and his son Chaitanya Baghel, as part of a money laundering probe linked to the alleged ₹2,161 crore liquor scam. The operation triggered violent protests, with Congress workers pelting stones at ED vehicles in Durg district.

Stone pelting, chaos outside Baghel’s residence

As ED officials left Baghel’s residence, Congress workers surrounded the vehicles, climbed onto bonnets, and hurled stones, leading to a scuffle with police.

  • Durg SP Jitendra Shukla confirmed that ED officials verbally complained about the attack on their convoy.
  • A case is being registered, and further legal action will follow.

Bhupesh Baghel’s reaction: ‘BJP using ED for political vendetta’

Speaking after the raid, Bhupesh Baghel accused the BJP of misusing central agencies to target opposition leaders.

"The citizens of the country now know that the BJP uses CBI and ED to trouble others. If the search ended in just a few hours, what did they really find?"

Baghel claimed that the ED seized ₹33 lakh from his residence, which he said was from legitimate sources, including farming and dairy business.

On X, he wrote:

"ED found three things in my house—evidence against BJP leaders, a pen drive on crores of transactions, and some personal financial records. But no ECIR number was provided."

The ₹2,161 crore Chhattisgarh liquor scam: What ED alleges

The ED alleges that between 2019 and 2022, a cartel of politicians, bureaucrats, and liquor businessmen siphoned off ₹2,161 crore through:

  • Manipulating liquor supply chains via government-run shops.
  • Selling unaccounted liquor illegally and collecting bribes from suppliers.
  • Channeling illegal proceeds through shell companies.

BJP vs Congress: Political reactions

  • BJP leaders defended the ED raids, stating that corruption under Baghel’s tenure must be investigated.
  • Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai distanced the state government from the probe, calling it a central agency’s action.
  • Congress MP Manickam Tagore slammed the ED, saying:

"ED has become PM Modi and Amit Shah’s pet dog. BJP is using it to suppress strong Congress leaders like Baghel."

With Bhupesh Baghel at the center of a major ED probe, Chhattisgarh’s political climate remains tense. As the liquor scam investigation expands, the Congress-BJP faceoff over agency misuse vs. corruption accountability is set to intensify.