Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel (image-Facebook/Bhupesh Baghel)
Days after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday raided the residence of Congress General Secretary and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel related to his involvement in the Mahadev betting app case.
The investigative agency reportedly raided Baghel’s Raipur and Bhilai residences along with the residential premises of a senior police officer and Baghel’s close associate.
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The former chief minister alleged that the raids were conducted to prevent him from attending a key Congress meeting scheduled for April 8 and 9 in Ahmedabad.
In 2024, the Madhya Pradesh government gave the approval to the CBI to probe 70 cases filed in multiple police stations across the state in connection with the Mahadev scam case.
State Congress communication wing head Sushil Anand Shukla said that the BJP has been scared since Baghel became the party in charge of Punjab.
“First, the Enforcement Directorate was sent to his residence, and now, the CBI has been sent. This shows the BJP’s fear. When the BJP fails to fight politically, it uses central agencies against its opponents,” stated Baghel.
The @BJP4India govt continues to misuse the investigating agencies to harass the leaders of the opposition parties. In an extremely deplorable incident, the CBI today raided the residence of former Chhatisgarh CM and @INCPunjab Incharge @bhupeshbaghel. Before this, the ED did the… https://t.co/sb7BSzo9nj
— Partap Singh Bajwa (@Partap_Sbajwa) March 26, 2025
Calling the raids “highly condemnable,” Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, President of Congress’ Punjab unit and Ludhiana MP, accused the Modi government of continuing to abuse investigating agencies against political opponents.
“Nothing has come out of these raids in the past, and nothing will come out of these raids even now. Every Congressman stands by Bhagel Sahab in his fight against an autocratic dictatorship,” said Warring.
First it was the ED. Now it is the CBI. The Modi government has still not stopped abusing the investigating agencies against political opponents.
The early morning CBI raids on the residence of senior @INCIndia leader & former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister @bhupeshbaghel are… https://t.co/ykWhDu4C8Y— Amarinder Singh Raja Warring (@RajaBrar_INC) March 26, 2025
The ED has seized, attached, and frozen assets worth Rs 2,295 crore as part of the investigation into the Mahadev betting scam case, as per media reports.
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On March 10, the ED had conducted a series of raids at 14 locations in the Durg district, including Baghel’s and his son Chaitanya Baghel’s respective residences, in connection with an alleged liquor scam case.
Following the ED raids, Baghel took to X and said that the agency found Rs 33 lakh in cash at his place, which he stated was his income from farming, dairy, and family savings, reported India Today.
The ED had claimed that the beneficiaries gained Rs 2,100 crore in proceeds of crime in the alleged liquor case, leading to a “massive loss” to the state exchequer.
