CBI raids residence of ex-Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, books him for alleged land allocation irregularities

New Delhi: The CBI on Friday registered a new case against former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and others over alleged irregularities in land allocation. The agency carried out searches in 30 locations in Delhi-NCR, officials said. [caption id=“attachment_4332495” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. PTI[/caption] A team of officials from the agency arrived early on Friday at Hooda’s residence in Rohtak, Haryana, they said. According to the officials, 30 locations in the Delhi-NCR region are part of the probe. The agency is tight-lipped about the details of the case as the search operation is underway. The case is understood to be related to alleged irregularities in land allotment, sources said. Hooda, along with his son and MP Deepinder Singh, were present in the house. Congress MLA Kuldeep Sharma slammed the BJP government and charged that the action was intended to stop Hooda, who is a senior Congress leader, from attending a poll rally to be held on Friday in the run-up to the Jind bypoll. The Jind bypoll, which has turned out to be a multi-cornered contest, will take place on 28 January. “The Jind by-election is going to take place and today, a poll rally was organised. It (CBI raid) was to happen and it was carried out with an intention of political ill will in order to influence the by-election,” Sharma said while talking to reporters in Rohtak. “The BJP government got this despicable act done in order to stop Hooda from going to the rally,” alleged Sharma, who is MLA from Ganaur. Hooda was to address the poll rally in favour of Congress nominee Randeep Singh Surjewala in Jind. He, along with other senior leaders, have been campaigning for Surjewala for the crucial bypoll. The Congress has fielded Jat leader and All India Congress Committee communication in-charge Surjewala, a sitting legislator from Kaithal, while the ruling party BJP has nominated Krishan Middha, son of INLD legislator Hari Chand Middha, whose death necessitated the bypoll. The Indian National Lok Dal has fielded local Jat leader Umedh Singh Redhu, while the newly-floated Jannayak Janta Party, a breakaway party from the Chautala family-led INLD, nominated political greenhorn Digvijay Singh Chautala.