- AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj accused ED of manipulating his statement during a 19-hour raid at his home
- ED officers allegedly shared his statement externally and pressured him to sign an edited version
- Only public documents were seized, including his election affidavit and a Health Department affidavit, he said
AAP Delhi state president Saurabh Bharadwaj has accused the Enforcement Directorate or ED of manipulating his statement during yesterday's raid at his residence. In a dramatic press conference held at his residence, Mr Bharadwaj claimed that the ED officers not only pressured him to delete portions of his recorded statement but also shared it externally before asking him to sign a "manipulated" version.
"If I am lying today, I am ready to go to jail," Mr Bharadwaj declared.
"The truth is that ED's Assistant Director Mayank Arora shared my statement with someone outside using my Wi-Fi. The original statement is still on his laptop. This must be verified through forensic investigation."
BJP Mocks Saurabh Bharadwaj
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva hit back, calling Bharadwaj's press conference "political drama" and mocking him as a "better scriptwriter than politician."
"After losing the election, Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed to be unemployed. Now, thanks to the investigation, he seems to have found a new job," Mr Sachdeva said. "The way he conducted his press conference shows his hidden talent as a scriptwriter. Perhaps instead of politics, he should move to Mumbai to pursue that career."
Mr Sachdeva accused AAP of indulging in theatrics rather than facing investigations through due legal process.
"Anarchy, misgovernance, and corruption define the behavior of Aam Aadmi Party and its leaders. If they do not trust the investigating agencies, the courts are always open. But AAP leaders prefer media drama and trial by press," he remarked.
'Raid Lasted 19 Hours, Yielded Nothing'
The AAP leader said the raid began at 7.15 am, just as his daughter was leaving for school, and continued till past 2 am. "They spent 19-20 hours searching every corner of my house. After all that, they found absolutely nothing. Their raid ended with zero result," he said.
Mr Bharadwaj named the ED officials present, including Deputy Director Ravish Bhardwaj and Assistant Director Mayank Arora, alleging they questioned him on 43-44 points throughout the day. "I answered calmly. I even gave them documents proving I acted promptly as Health Minister to resolve hospital delays. Yet, they twisted even public documents into so-called incriminating evidence."
The only items seized were two public documents, his 2025 election affidavit and an affidavit filed by the Health Department in the Delhi High Court, he said. "The Election Commission affidavit is available to the whole world online. Yet, ED recorded it as incriminating evidence. This is a shameless farce," he said.
"ED Tried to Delete My Words, Torn Panchnama"
Mr Bharadwaj alleged that late at night, the ED officers presented him with a printed statement, in which several parts of his testimony had been cut out. "They told me - sign it, we have only removed certain portions. I refused. I told them clearly, this is my statement on oath, and I will decide what goes in it, not ED," he said.
He further claimed that the original panchnama he signed was later torn up by the officials and replaced with another, Mr Bharadwaj alleged.
'Psychological Pressure, Threats of Arrest'
The AAP leader accused the agency of trying to break him mentally. "From 8 pm to 2 am, the Assistant Director kept stepping out to make phone calls. They kept telling me I could be arrested that night. They even asked me to sign saying, 'Sir, we want your good.' I told them, my lawyer wants my good, your only job is to send me to jail," he said.
At one point, Mr Bharadwaj said, he lay down on the floor to sleep after refusing to cooperate. "Within ten minutes they woke me up with a fresh statement they had edited. But I told them, arrest me if you want, I will not sign."
Demand For Forensic Probe
Mr Bharadwaj demanded a forensic examination of Assistant Director Mayank Arora's laptop and his own Wi-Fi connected printer. "Both contain the original statement and logs of how it was shared and manipulated. This is evidence the whole country must see," he said.
He also mocked ED's claim of raiding 13 of his premises. "At least show me these 13 premises, so I can take possession myself. Even my family is asking where they are," he remarked.
'False Charges, Political Conspiracy'
Linking the episode to what he called a larger political conspiracy, Mr Bharadwaj said: "Delhi's Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has hatched a criminal conspiracy to frame me. Meetings were held in his office with senior officers to trap me. I have documentary proof and recordings.
If I am arrested, my lawyers will release the evidence."
Challenging the agency again, Mr Bharadwaj said: "I am ready to go to jail today if I am lying. But the truth is, ED officers manipulated my statement, tore my panchnama, and planted false evidence."
The Back Story
On August 26, the Enforcement Directorate had conducted simultaneous raids at 13 locations across Delhi-NCR, including Mr Bharadwaj's residence and premises of private contractors, under the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act).
The probe centers on alleged misuse of public funds in public health projects.
In August 2024, BJP MLA Vijender Gupta filed a complaint alleging massive irregularities in 24 hospital projects worth Rs 5,590 crore, including cost overruns, delays, and suspected embezzlement. Based on this, Delhi's ACB registered a First Information Report on June 26 this year under anti-corruption laws, naming Saurabh Bharadwaj, former Health Minister Satyendar Jain, and others.
