Saurabh Bharadwaj Accuses ED of Manipulating Raid Records, Demands Forensic Probe

• “An ED officer shared my statement with someone and pressured me to remove certain parts of it, but I refused.” – Saurabh Bharadwaj
• “ED officials drafted a statement themselves, called it mine after deleting some portions, and demanded my signature. I refused.” – Saurabh Bharadwaj
• “A forensic probe of ED Assistant Director Mayank Arora’s laptop and my printer will reveal my original statement.” – Saurabh Bharadwaj
• “ED claimed to have raided 13 of my properties. Tell me where they are so that I can take possession of them.” – Saurabh Bharadwaj
• “ED raided my home for 19–20 hours and found nothing. Their raid yielded zero results.” – Saurabh Bharadwaj
• “I did not sign any papers. I had signed the earlier seizure memo, but ED officials tore it up.” – Saurabh Bharadwaj

New Delhi, Aug 2025 : Aam Aadmi Party’s Delhi Convenor Saurabh Bharadwaj on Wednesday exposed what he called BJP’s fake ED raid with full evidence, after the raid was carried out at his home on Tuesday. He presented a detailed account of the 19–20-hour-long raid before the nation and explained how ED officers allegedly tried to coerce him into signing a manipulated statement written by them.

Bharadwaj said, “Initially, an ED officer shared my statement with someone and then pressured me to remove certain parts, but I refused. Later, ED brought a pre-written statement and insisted it was mine with just some things removed. But I refused to sign it. ED found nothing at my home. Their raid had zero results.” He demanded a forensic probe of Assistant Director Mayank Arora’s laptop and his own printer, claiming that both contain his original statements.

During a press conference at the AAP headquarters with a printer beside him, Bharadwaj said, “For years, ED has been spreading fear in this country. Its officers, in collusion with the central government, are conspiring to trap opposition leaders.”

He narrated that on Tuesday at 7:15 am, as his daughter was leaving for school, ED officials arrived at his house. The team included ED Deputy Director Ravish Bharadwaj, Assistant Director Mayank Arora, Enforcement Officers Vikas Kumar and Varun Kushwaha, Assistant Enforcement Officer Manish, constables Rajni and Harishankar, and six CRPF personnel. He allowed them to conduct the search.

He explained that his younger daughter, who studies in nursery, was ready for school, so he sent her off before the search began. “They searched the entire house, cupboards, and clothes. Then Mayank Arora and Vikas Kumar sat with me, saying they needed to record my statement. Arora used his laptop, asked me 43 questions, and I answered all thoroughly. Around 7:15 pm, my statement was recorded,” he said.

During the raid, an ED officer found an old affidavit filed in Delhi High Court by the Health Department, which Bharadwaj said was a public document he himself had been searching for. He asked ED to attach it to his statement since it contained meeting minutes that contradicted the allegations against him. He claimed this affidavit and other records proved that he, as minister, had given repeated directions to expedite infrastructure projects, but ED was ignoring them to implicate him.

Bharadwaj alleged that later ED officials pressured him to alter his statement under PMLA provisions, warning him it could be used against him in court. “I told them I was giving my statement under oath and they couldn’t change it. But they insisted only parts they approved would remain. From 8 pm to 2 am, they kept making calls and trying to manipulate my statement. They threatened me with jail to force me to sign. But I refused,” he said.

He also ridiculed ED’s claim of raiding 13 properties. “Tell me where these 13 properties are so I can take possession. My children are asking me where they are. ED should be ashamed,” he said.

Bharadwaj claimed ED even stole documents from his home, manipulated seizure memos, and dropped the 89-page High Court affidavit from the official records once they realized it supported his defense. “They made me sign the first seizure memo but tore it up later and replaced it,” he alleged.

He further said, “I told ED I know I may have to go to jail for two years, and I am ready. If they want to arrest me, they should do it. But I will never sign a manipulated statement. ED’s job is not to put people in jail but to bring out the truth and place proper evidence before the court. Instead, they are suppressing my real statement.”

He urged a forensic probe of Mayank Arora’s laptop and his own printer’s memory, claiming both contain the original statement.

He concluded by warning that if such practices continue, no citizen will be safe. “If we remain silent today, tomorrow they will raid someone else’s home, alter their statements, and force their signatures. This is a very dangerous situation for democracy.”