New Delhi: In a significant development, officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) descended upon the residence of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Amanatullah Khan this morning. The raid is part of an ongoing investigation into a money laundering case linked to the Okhla MLA. The case involves alleged irregularities in the appointments within the Delhi Waqf Board and the leasing of its properties.
In a video statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), Mr. Khan expressed his concern that the ED team was at his residence with the intent to arrest him. “The ED team has come to arrest me on the pretext of a search. My mother-in-law is a cancer patient, she was operated upon four days back. She is also at my home. I had informed this (to the ED),” he said.
Mr. Khan has claimed that the agency’s aim is to disrupt the AAP’s activities and harass its leaders. He alleged, “They have been harassing me for two years, slapping false cases, creating problems. They are harassing our whole party. Their objective is to break our party. I appeal to the people of Okhla to pray for me and promise that we will get all your work done. Don’t worry, we will not get scared.”
Footage shared on social media shows an elderly woman, identified as Mr. Khan’s mother-in-law, lying on a bed while the MLA is seen speaking to an ED official through a mesh door. “I want four weeks’ time. My mother-in-law has been operated upon,” Mr. Khan is heard saying. The ED official, however, questioned Mr. Khan’s belief that they were there to arrest him, to which the legislator responded, “Why else have you come?”
The situation escalated as a woman, presumably Mr. Khan’s wife, voiced her frustration, questioning the need for repeated searches in their small three-room home. She expressed concern for her mother’s health, stating, “She has cancer and she has been operated upon. I will take you to court if anything happens to my mother. She can’t even stand.”
Top AAP leaders, including Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, have condemned the ED’s actions, accusing the BJP-led Central government of using investigative agencies to target political opponents. Mr. Sisodia, the former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, said, “This is the only work left with ED. Muffle every voice raised against BJP. And jail the ones who do not break.”
AAP MP Sanjay Singh, who has also faced arrest in a money laundering case, questioned the legitimacy of the probe against Mr. Khan, calling it a “comedy.” He noted that the CBI had previously informed a court that no financial crime was committed in this matter. Mr. Singh pointed out that Mr. Khan had been arrested before in connection with this case, but the court found no evidence of corruption.
The ED had previously conducted a search at Mr. Khan’s residence last year but reportedly found no incriminating evidence. The political tension between AAP and the BJP continues to escalate as such incidents unfold.
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