Chhattisgarh: ED raids residence of former CM Bhupesh Baghel’s PA in CGPSC scam probe

Raipur/Bhilai, Sep 1 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday conducted searches at the residence of KK Chandravanshi (also referred to as KK Chandrakar), former personal assistant to ex-Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, as part of a money-laundering investigation linked to alleged irregularities in the Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC).

According to sources, a team of five to eight ED officers arrived at Chandravanshi’s residence in the Old Bhilai area of Durg district around 6 a.m. in two vehicles. The team is examining documents inside the house. Security personnel have been deployed at the scene.

Official information from the agency on the specific nature of the material being scrutinised has not yet been released.

The searches form part of a wider operation covering seven locations across Chhattisgarh, initiated by the ED’s Raipur zonal office based on specific intelligence and carried out in coordination with security forces and state police.

The investigation pertains to the alleged leaking and manipulation of question papers for the CGPSC State Service Examinations held in 2020 and 2021.

The action follows the ED’s arrest of former CGPSC chairman Taman Singh Sonwani on July 25 in connection with the same money-laundering probe. The ED case is based on a 2024 FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after a complaint by the Chhattisgarh Police following the change of government in the state.

Chandravanshi, originally a Grade-1 officer in the Agriculture Department, had served as Baghel’s personal assistant for a long period.

The raid is expected to intensify the political atmosphere in Chhattisgarh, with the possibility of protests by the Congress.

At the time of filing this report, the ED team continues to examine documents at the residence, and the full extent of the findings will become clear only after the search is completed and official confirmation is issued.

The agency has not issued a formal statement on the outcome of the searches so far.

–IANS

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