A day before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) quizzes Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren in connection with an alleged money laundering charge, several organisations have threatened to protest on Friday at Raj Bhavan against the federal agency.

As many as five tribal organisations — Kendriya Sarna Samity, Rajhi Parha Sarna Prarthana Sabha, Adivasi Sena, 22 Parha Samity and Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikash Parishad — and Hatia Visthapith Morcha (a non-tribal outfit fighting for rights of displaced people in Hatia in Ranchi) will be staging protests from 11am near Raj Bhavan.

“The ED is being used by the BJP-led Centre to harass elected governments in non-BJP ruled states. In Jharkhand, they have crossed all limits by repeatedly summoning a tribal chief minister who had already answered them in November 2022.

“Since last year, they have been issuing summons and this year, they even threatened that if the chief minister does not attend to their summons, then they will come to him. We have also seen the governor supporting the ED and this is the reason we are staging the protest near Raj Bhavan,” said Kendriya Sarna Samity president Ajit Tirkey.

Tirkey said that nearly 10,000 tribal from different districts of Jharkhand would converge near Raj Bhavan on Friday.

Asked about concerns regarding the law and order on January 20, Jharkhand governor C.P. Radhakrishnan on Wednesday told reporters after a private varsity convocation ceremony in Ranchi: “Why would the law and order be affected? The ED is simply doing its duty. It is the chief minister’s responsibility to provide the appropriate answers to the agency.”

JMM supporters had enforced a bandh in Sahibganj district on Wednesday in protest against the ED summoning Soren, JMM leaders have already hinted at massive resentment among the tribals against the ED summons to the chief minister.

Soren had on Monday agreed to interrogation and asked the ED to record his statement on January 20 afternoon. There were reports that the ED had written a letter to Soren on Saturday and given him five days (16-20 January) to record his statement and was asked to inform the time and place for recording his statement within two days.