Sonipat, July 20 2024 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday arrested Surender Panwar, the Congress MLA from Sonipat, in connection with a money-laundering case linked to illegal mining activities in Yamunanagar and other areas of Haryana. This follows a series of investigations and raids conducted by the ED earlier this year.
In January, ED teams, accompanied by central paramilitary forces, searched premises associated with Panwar and his aides in Sonipat, as well as the residences of BJP leader Manoj Wadhwa in Karnal and INLD MLA Dilbagh Singh and his associates in Yamunanagar district. Following these searches, Singh was also arrested for further questioning.
The money-laundering case is based on multiple FIRs filed by the Haryana Police, which allege illegal mining of boulders, gravel, and sand in Yamunanagar and nearby districts. These activities reportedly continued beyond the lease expiry period and despite court orders. The ED is also investigating possible fraud related to the ‘e-ravan’ scheme, an online portal introduced by the Haryana government in 2020 to streamline the collection of royalties and taxes and prevent tax evasion in mining areas.
In July 2022, Panwar had submitted his resignation to Assembly Speaker Gian Chand Gupta, citing personal reasons, including threats to his family’s safety. “My son has been receiving death threats, but since you have assured me that adequate security will be provided to us, I am withdrawing my resignation,” Panwar had written.
Later, Panwar confirmed that he was retracting his resignation after receiving assurances from the speaker regarding security measures. “The speaker told me to come and meet him personally. He assured me and other MLAs that adequate measures will be taken to ensure our security and the culprits will be traced and arrested,” Panwar stated.
Legal experts noted that the speaker could not have accepted Panwar’s resignation solely based on electronic communication without a personal hearing.
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