“This government can’t digest popularity…”: DSSP VP Jatinder Singh on ED raid at Choudhary Lal Singh

Kathua (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], October 17 (ANI): Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan Party vice president Jatinder Singh on Tuesday slammed the BJP-led Union government for the Enforcement Directorate’s raid at the premises of his party’s chairman Choudhary Lal Singh.

He said that the Central government can’t digest the popularity of someone who has become the voice of the Dogra community.

“First, the CBI did the investigation for about a year. Now after CBI, they sent ED. If there is someone above ED…it is our Dogra leader…They didn’t find any proof against him. This government can’t digest the popularity of someone who has become the voice of the Dogra community,” Jatinder Singh said.

Meanwhile, Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan Party leaders and workers staged a protest outside Chaudhary Lal Singh’s house in Kathua after the ED conducted searches in connection with a Prevention of Money Laundering case.

The searches were conducted searches in Jammu and adjoining areas as part of the PMLA probe against alleged irregularities in the purchase of land to set up an educational trust. Former minister Lal Singh, his wife Kanta Andotra and Ravinder Singh, a former revenue official were chargesheeted by the CBI earlier.

The raid has been conducted in connection with the PMLA case against RB’s educational trust.

“The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is conducting searches on eight premises situated at different locations in Jammu, Kathua and Pathankot in a Prevention of Money Laundering Act case of RB Educational Trust. The raids are based on a case being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI),” as per ED.

Jatinder Singh, Vice President of Dogra Swamiman Sangthan party told ANI “They removed Article 370 and made the state UT, so that they can quickly catch whoever speaks against them. Earlier they sent CBI and now ED has been sent.”

“Chaudhary Lal Singh first ran the health ministry and has been MP twice and an MLA four times. No evidence was found against him. The upcoming elections are troubling them so they got the municipality elections postponed,” added Singh.

ED today conducted searches on eight premises situated at different locations in Jammu and Kashmir as part of the PMLA probe.

The federal agency’s sleuths carried out searches in Jammu, Kathua and Pathankot regions. The raids are based on a case being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

A chargesheet was also filed by the CBI in the case on October 28, 2021. The chargesheet established offences committed by one Kanta Andotra, the chairperson of RB Educational Trust, and Ravinder Singh, then Patwari of Patwar Halqa Karandi Khurd and Muthi Hardo in 2011, who in criminal connivance issued three fards of more than 329 kanals of land during January 4, 2011, to January 7, 2011, without mentioning details in respect of violation of ceiling limit of 100 standard kanals imposed under Section 14 of the Jammu and Kashmir Agrarian Reforms Act 1976 thereby giving undue pecuniary advantage to trust.

“On the basis the the three fards, the trust acquired multiple pieces of land approx 329 Kanals vide three gift deeds executed on January 5, 2011 and January 7, 2011,” said the ED.

The main persons involved include one Lal Singh, ex-MP and ex-MLA, and Kanta Andotra, wife of Lal Singh (also ex-MLA and chairperson of the trust) and the then Patwari.

The premises being covered in searches include those related to the trust, chairperson, land donors, Power of Attorney Holders on behalf of land donors, witnesses who had executed the deeds and the then Patwari who wrongfully issued fards for letting RB Educational Trust execute the deeds, added the agency.