Raipur, Jul 18 (PTI) Congress MLAs on Friday boycotted the proceedings of the Chhattisgarh assembly for the day as a mark of protest against the Enforcement Directorate's action against former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel's son, and accused the central probe agency of trying to harass the opposition.

The ED on Friday arrested Chaitanya Baghel from his residence in Bhilai town of state's Durg district in a money laundering case linked to alleged liquor scam. He was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after fresh raids were carried out at his home, where the father-son duo reside.

Speaking in the House, Leader of Opposition Charan Das Mahant asked whether the government has been functioning as per the democratic system or not.

"The way ED has been carrying out raids...it is trying to put pressure on us and harass us and our family members. Our son (Chaitanya Baghel) has been picked up (by the ED) on his birthday," he said.

"We strongly oppose the move and we boycott the proceedings of the assembly," Mahant added.

Subsequently, the Congress members, including Bhupesh Baghel, walked out of the House.

Friday is the last day of the ongoing monsoon session of the legislative assembly.

The alleged liquor scam in Chhattisgarh, according to the ED, was orchestrated between 2019 and 2022 when the state was governed by the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government.

Assets worth about Rs 205 crore of various accused have been attached by the agency as part of this investigation so far. In 2024, the Supreme Court quashed the ED's first ECIR (FIR) in this case, which was based on a complaint from the Income Tax Department.

According to the ED, the alleged commission generated through the illegal sale of liquor was shared "as per the directions from the highest political executives of the state." PTI TKP NP

PMLA arrest alerts: money laundering probe into alleged liquor scam prompts detention and asset attachments, triggering political protest. Enforcement action under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act led to the arrest of a family-linked individual after fresh raids in an alleged liquor-related money laundering probe; assets of accused persons have been attached during the ongoing investigation, which alleges commissions were directed by senior political actors, and an earlier related ECIR was previously quashed by judicial review.