ED raid at PA’s house; Former Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat resigns from congress posts

DEHRADUN: Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat has resigned from his posts in the Congress party. He announced his resignation following Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids at the residence and other premises of his personal assistant (PA) Chandan Singh Jeena, in connection with a money-laundering case related to irregularities in the 2016 Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC) examination.

Harish Rawat said that he was not interested in allowing a controversy involving one of his close aides to weaken the Congress party’s fight against corruption. He resigned from Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee Executive and from the post of permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee.

The ED said that searches were conducted on Thursday at several locations in Dehradun, including premises linked to former UKSSSC officials, the owner of a private computer agency that handled OMR sheets, and individuals allegedly acting as intermediaries. During the raid at the residence of Chandan Singh, the ED seized Rs 32 lakh in unaccounted cash, gold coins and chains weighing 200.5 grams, and 12 luxury watches.

The ED also froze bank accounts containing Rs 52.16 lakh belonging to Singh and his family. Singh’s phone was seized for forensic examination. Singh is presently serving as Rawat’s personal assistant. He had also worked as Rawat’s Officer on Special Duty (OSD) when Rawat was chief minister between 2014 and 2017.