On Friday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) apprehended Chaitanya Baghel, the son of Congress leader and former Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Baghel, in relation to a money laundering investigation tied to an alleged liquor scam.

This arrest, which took place on Chaitanya Baghel’s birthday, followed searches carried out by central agencies earlier that day. The ED stated that this action was prompted by the acquisition of new evidence in the case.

The Enforcement Directorate claims that Chaitanya Baghel is believed to be the “recipient” of funds from the purported Rs 2,160-crore liquor scam that transpired between 2019 and 2022, during the period when the Congress government was led by Bhupesh Baghel.

The agency contends that a “parallel” liquor distribution network was established, wherein unaccounted liquor produced in distilleries was directly supplied to government-operated shops without the payment of necessary duties and fees, resulting in significant losses to the state treasury.

In the aftermath of the arrest, Congress supporters clashed with police and tried to obstruct Enforcement Directorate vehicles as Chaitanya was taken from his home in Durg district, where he resides with his father.

Bhupesh Baghel, who addressed the media during the raid preceding the arrest, accused the central agencies of being weaponized against opposition leaders, yet he expressed confidence in the judiciary and his willingness to cooperate. He claimed that the ED’s actions coincided with a scheduled discussion in the assembly regarding the deforestation for a coal mine project by the Adani group.

“To appease their master, Modi and Shah have dispatched the ED to my residence. We will not be intimidated or submit. Bhupesh Baghel will not be afraid. We will fight for the truth. On one side, in Bihar, voters are being purged from the electoral rolls with the assistance of the Election Commission. Democracy is being undermined, while on the other side, they are misusing the ED, IT, CBI, and DRI to silence opposition leaders.

“However, the citizens of the nation have come to comprehend and are fully informed,” he stated.

He further questioned the timing of the raid, which happened to align with his son Chaitanya’s birthday, remarking, “No one in any democracy worldwide can present a birthday gift like the one Modi and Shah have provided.”

The Congress party also claimed that the Enforcement Directorate was dispatched as “Bhupesh ji was on the verge of addressing the issue of deforestation for Adani in the assembly today.”

“Narendra Modi is employing the ED, CBI, and IT as his personal tools. Any opposition leader who dares to speak out against his corruption faces a raid. Bhupesh ji was set to bring up the matter of trees being cut for Adani in the assembly today, but prior to that, the ED was sent. Modi should keep in mind… Congress and its leaders will not be intimidated by these threats. We will reveal your corruption even more vigorously,” the party tweeted.

In connection with this liquor scam, the ED apprehended former minister and Congress leader Kawasi Lakhma in January, along with Anwar Dhebar, the elder sibling of Raipur Mayor and Congress leader Aijaz Dhebar, former IAS officer Anil Tuteja, Indian Telecom Service (ITS) officer Arunpati Tripathi, and several others as part of the investigation. To date, the agency has seized assets worth approximately Rs 205 crore belonging to various accused parties.

In 2024, the Supreme Court annulled the ED’s initial ECIR (equivalent to an FIR) in this matter, which was founded on a complaint from the Income Tax Department. Following this, the agency initiated a new case after asking the Chhattisgarh Economic Offences Wing (EOW) to file a fresh FIR against the accused based on evidence provided by the ED.

The EOW lodged the FIR on January 17 of the previous year, roughly a month after the BJP displaced the Congress government in the 2023 Assembly elections. The FIR identified 70 individuals and companies, including former excise minister Kawasi Lakhma, former chief secretary Vivek Dhand, and others. As stated by the ED, the purported proceeds from the unlawful sale of alcohol were allocated “in accordance with the instructions from the top political leaders of the state.”