New Delhi, Jul 19 (PTI) Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday claimed the ED arrested former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel's son as he was about to raise in the assembly the issue of forests in the state being allegedly "handed over" to the Adani Group, and accused the BJP of trying to "crush the voice of the people".

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday arrested Chaitanya Baghel, son of the senior Congress leader, in an alleged liquor scam-linked money laundering case, official sources said. Chaitanya was later sent to a five-day ED remand by a court.

"The BJP government has handed over all the forests of Chhattisgarh to Adani ji. The forests are being destroyed in defiance of the PESA Act and NGT directives. Former Chief Minister Shri Bhupesh Baghel ji was about to raise this issue in the Assembly. To stop him, ED raided his house early in the morning and arrested his son," Priyanka Gandhi said in a post in Hindi.

In the last 11 years, the country has understood that these are ways to "crush the voice of the people and suppress the opposition", she said.

"But it is impossible to suppress the truth and scare the opposition with such tactics. Every Congress worker stands firmly with Baghel ji," Priyanka Gandhi said.

Chaitanya was taken into custody by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) following fresh early morning raids on Friday conducted at his residence in Bhilai town of Durg district. The father-son duo reside at the same house.

Bhupesh Baghel alleged that central agencies were being misused to target opposition leaders, but asserted that he trusted the judiciary and would cooperate with them.

Congress MLAs boycotted the proceedings of the state assembly for the day as a mark of protest against the arrest and accused the agency of trying to harass the opposition.

ED sources said Chaitanya was arrested under Section 19 of the anti-money laundering law as he was allegedly not cooperating during the searches that came about following receipt of fresh evidence in the case.

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

Assets worth about Rs 205 crore of various accused have been attached by the ED as part of this investigation so far, according to the agency. PTI ASK RHL

PMLA arrest for alleged money laundering triggers political protest and assembly boycott amid claims of agency misuse. Arrest under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act followed Enforcement Directorate raids in an alleged liquor-related money laundering investigation, with custody sought on the basis of alleged non-cooperation after fresh evidence; the probe includes attachment of accused persons' assets and has provoked political allegations of misuse of investigative agencies and an assembly boycott in protest.