Jharkhand illegal mining probe: Another IAS officer under ED scanner

RANCHI: Another IAS officer in Jharkhand has been put under Enforcement Directorate (ED) scanner as Sahibganj Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ramniwas Yadav has also been issued summon by the central investigation agency asking him to appear before it on January 23. Earlier, on May 11, 2022, ED had arrested senior IAS officer in a money laundering case linked to alleged embezzlement of MGNREGA funds and illegal mining after an interrogation for over 15 hours.

Ramniwas Yadav, a 2015 batch IAS officer, joined as Deputy Commissioner of Sahibganj in October 2020. ED in its charge-sheet has also mentioned that maximum illegal stone mining and transportation took place during the regime of Yadav. According to ED sources, Yadav has been issued summon after they found during investigation that Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s representative Pankaj Mishra, who is currently under custody, made several phone and video calls to the Sahibganj DC Ramniwas Yadav during July-October last year.

Notably, ED in its investigation has found that, despite being into custody, Mishra made more than 300
calls to several officials and political leaders in the state.

Moreover, Chief Minister Hemant Soren while being investigated by ED on November 18 had fixed the onus on Sahibganj DC Ramniwas Yadav for taking appropriate actions saying that as a Chief Minister he never stopped officials from taking action against anybody.

‘Now, ED wants to know that, as a DC, whether he was not aware of the rampant illegal mining taking place in the district or simply he turned blind eyes on it. He will also be asked what action he took to stop illegal stone mining, transportation and royalty theft in his district,” informed ED sources. ED will also confront him with his conversations which took place with Pankaj Misrha and other suspects, it added.

According to ED, Pankaj Mishra, arrested by the ED in a money laundering case, enjoys “political clout” as he is the political representative of Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren and “controls” illegal mining business in Soren’s Assembly constituency through his accomplices.

ED initiated money laundering probe on the basis of FIR registered at Barharwa Police Station in Sahebganj under various sections of IPC, 1860, against Pankaj Mishra and others. Later, several FIRs regarding illegal mining lodged under IPC, Explosive Substances Act and Arms Act have also been taken into the ambit of scheduled offence, it said.

The agency has so far identified proceeds of crimes, relating to illegal mining in the state, to the tune of more than Rs 1,000 crore.