ED detains Sanjay Raut in Patra Chawl land scam case

Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray’s close aide and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut was on Sunday detained for interrogation by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the 1,034-crore Patra Chawl land scam case.

The 60-year old journalist-politician, who is the chief spokesperson of Shiv Sena, has been one of the most vocal critics of the BJP and had been facing the heat of ED since the time he played a key role in the formation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

A dozen ED sleuths, accompanied by a unit of the CRPF, swooped at Maitree, his Bhandup bungalow, around 7 am. He was grilled for over nine and taken to the ED office at Ballard Estate around 5.30 pm.

Raut waved at hundreds of supporters waiting outside, and raised a saffron flag, while his wife Varsha, mother and other family members looked on grimly from the balcony of the bungalow.

“The case against me is false, the evidence is false, the documents against me are false….I will not leave Shiv Sena, I will die but not bow down before anyone….they are going to arrest me, and I am ready to get arrested…jhukega nahi,” said Raut as he was escorted inside the ED office.

Raut has appeared before ED once, but had skipped two summons.

Earlier in the day, Thackeray said: “Raut may be arrested. What conspiracy is this? Shiv Sena gives strength of Hindus and Marathi people and hence the conspiracy is to finish off the party.”

Shiv Sena’s MVA partners - NCP and Congress — too have condemned the arrest saying that its was done with a political motive to muzzle the voice to Opposition parties.

Raut’s brother and two-time Vikhroli MLA Sunil Raut said that the ED has not seize any documents related to the case as there is none. “Its a false case,” he said.