ED Raids Ex-Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel’s Residence; Congress Alleges Political Vendetta

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday conducted searches at the Bhilai residence of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel, officials confirmed. The central agency has not officially revealed the case linked to the raid.

Baghel’s office suggested that the timing of the action was politically motivated, alleging that it came just hours before the Congress planned to raise the issue of large-scale tree felling in Raigarh’s Tamnar tehsil during the final day of the monsoon session of the state assembly.

“Today is the last day of the assembly session. The issue of trees being cut for Adani in Tamnar was to be raised. Saheb has sent ED to Bhilai Niwas,” read a post from Baghel’s official handle on X (formerly Twitter).

Background: Past Raids and Ongoing Investigations

Bhupesh Baghel shares the Bhilai house with his son Chaitanya Baghel, who has also come under ED scrutiny in connection with an alleged ₹2,100 crore liquor scam. In March, the ED conducted raids against Chaitanya, suspecting him of being a recipient of the scam’s proceeds of crime.

According to the agency, the liquor scam caused a substantial loss to the state exchequer and benefited a syndicate with illicit gains exceeding ₹2,100 crore.

In a separate case, Baghel’s residence was raided by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in March this year over the Mahadev betting app scandal. At the time, Baghel alleged that the raid was timed to influence Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech ahead of a public rally on March 30.

Congress Slams Centre

Friday’s ED action sparked a fresh political row, with Congress leaders accusing the BJP-led central government of misusing federal agencies to target opposition voices.

The developments underscore growing tensions between state-level Congress leadership and the Centre, especially over issues like environmental concerns in Tamnar, corruption allegations, and the use of investigative agencies in politically charged contexts.