ED forcing people to give statements against me, says Baghel

Former Chhattisgarh CM Baghel alleged that the ED mentioned his name in the Mahadev betting app case supplementary chargesheet as part of a political conspiracy

Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on January 6 alleged that the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) mentioned his name in the Mahadev betting app case supplementary chargesheet as part of a political conspiracy. 

In a long post on X (formerly Twitter), Mr. Baghel further accused the ED of making investigation a weapon of political pressure and defamation. The objective of the Central agency was to help the Bharatiya Janata Party by “spreading political propaganda”.

Asim Das, an alleged courier arrested in the betting app case, had initially claimed that he had been sent to “deliver” cash to Mr. Baghel. He later retracted the statement.

In its second prosecution complaint (chargesheet) filed before a special court in Raipur on January 1, the ED stated that Mr. Das had retracted his denial. It further informed the court that Mr. Das had earlier retracted his statement “under influence”. 

“The way the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has written my name in its supplementary chargesheet, it is completely part of a political conspiracy. The ED, at the behest of its political masters, is arresting people fraudulently and pressurising them to give statements against me and my colleagues. The allegations of money transactions made in these statements have no basis,” wrote Mr. Baghel. 

Referring to the earlier retraction by Mr. Das, Mr. Baghel said the former had claimed that he had been deceived and implicated and that he never delivered money to any politician or people associated with them. 

“Now the ED has claimed that he has withdrawn his statement. Everyone knows under whose pressure all this has been happening,” he wrote, while calling the entire episode “planned and engineered” by the ED.