The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Sonepat Congress MLA Surender Panwar, 55, in connection with an illegal mining case on Friday night, as confirmed by official sources on Saturday
Panwar’s arrest follows the ED’s search of 15 premises associated with Mahendragarh Congress MLA Rao Dan Singh, who recently lost the Bhiwani-Mahendragarh parliamentary elections by over 41,000 votes.
The ED’s investigation focuses on first information reports filed by Haryana Police in Sonepat, Bhiwani, and Yamunanagar, where illegal mining of boulders, gravel, and sand is occurring despite a National Green Tribunal (NGT) ban. Additionally, the ED is probing an alleged fraud in the “e-Ravana scheme,” an online portal introduced by the Haryana government in 2020 to streamline tax collection and prevent evasion in mining areas.
Sources indicate that an ED team from Delhi visited Panwar’s house and took him and his son to their Ambala office for questioning. Panwar is known to operate mining businesses in Haryana and Rajasthan.
In January, the ED had searched Panwar’s residence in Sector 15, Sonepat, along with multiple locations linked to former INLD MLA Dilbag Singh in Yamunanagar. The searches yielded ₹5 crore, foreign-made firearms, and 300 cartridges. Dilbag Singh and his associate were arrested by the ED in January but were later granted bail.
According to sources, documents indicating money laundering were found at Panwar’s residence, leading to his detention. Earlier this month, the ED also raided the homes of Congress leaders Satbir Ratera in Bhiwani and Vijay Hassania in Tosham.
Congress leader Deepender Hooda recently claimed that ED raids were being conducted on the government’s instructions to suppress opposition leaders ahead of the Haryana assembly elections, expected to be held in October. Hooda asserted that the people of Haryana were aware of such tactics and would respond accordingly to the ruling BJP.
(With inputs from agency)
Share your news, articles, deals, columns, or press releases with us! Click the link to submit and join our platform today.
