Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday came down heavily on the central agencies like Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax Department over the raids saying that their “illegal acts” weaken the country. In a series of tweets, Chief Minister Baghel said, “Central agencies are the strength of the citizens of the country, if the citizens start fearing these forces, then surely this negative power weakens the country. Agencies like ED and Income Tax should take legal action against those involved in corruption, we welcome it. But the way illegal acts are coming to the fore during questioning of people by ED and Income Tax officials, they are not acceptable at all.”
He said serious complaints such as summoning people and forcibly taking them out of their homes, forcing them to make confessions under pressure, threatening them to rot in jail for life, and keeping them without food and water till late at night are being received against central agencies. “Without informing the local police, they are conducting raids with CRPF. Complaints have been received from the officials that some people are being beaten with rods, some have broken legs and some have lost their hearing,” Baghel said.
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The Chief Minister said people of the state are very angry due to these incidents. He said there seems to be an attempt of creating false cases for the purpose of fulfilling political conspiracy. “The officials have been directed to inform the Government of India about all these incidents and stop illegal acts. Videography should be done of whoever is interrogated. We will cooperate fully in the legal investigation. If such complaints are received by us further, then the state police will be legally compelled to take action. We are committed to the safety of our citizens,” he added.
Baghel’s remarks came against the backdrop of several raids by ED and Income Tax Departments in various parts of the state in recent times.
