MOHALI: Hundreds of AAP activists gheraoed the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) headquarters. Supporters gate-crashed the GMADA office, entered the premises and raised slogans against the central agency as the Enforcement Directorate’s search operation entered its third day on Thursday. Officials continued to examine documents and records related to the ongoing money-laundering probe.The ED action also triggered a strong political reaction from the Aam Aadmi Party. Some supporters entered the GMADA premises while protesting the ongoing searches.The latest escalation came after the ED searched the Sector 39 residence of AAP leader and former Delhi minister Satyendar Jain in Chandigarh on Wednesday night. The agency also searched the residence of IAS officer Rajiv Gupta, who had earlier served as Chief Administrator, GMADA. The searches are part of the wider ED operation linked to alleged irregularities in GMADA affairs.The ED reportedly broke open the locks of the government bungalow in Sector 39 where Jain has been staying. Jain was reportedly not present at the residence when the team arrived.Following the searches, the AAP stepped up its attack on the BJP-led Centre, alleging that central agencies were being used to pressure Punjab government officers and disrupt GMADA’s functioning. The party also alleged that the action was politically motivated. These are allegations made by the AAP and have not been established by the ED.At the GMADA headquarters, ED officials continued questioning officials and examining files. The agency had earlier sealed at least three floors of the building and taken mobile phones and office computers used by senior officials into custody, according to officials familiar with the operation.The ED is investigating alleged irregularities in land acquisition, change-of-land-use permissions, property transactions and financial concessions involving private real estate companies. The probe also covers transactions involving more than 5,000 acres in Mohali and New Chandigarh, according to officials cited in reports.There has been no official disclosure so far on the complete findings of the searches or the specific records seized by the agency.
