Scores of ruling party JMM supporters gathered in Ranchi today, a day after their leader Hemant Soren was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate to interrogate in the alleged illegal mining case.

Instead of abiding by the ED’s summon,Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren decided not to appear before it in its Ranchi office and his party men turned up from different parts of the state causing traffic jams in Kanke road and main roads.

The JMM supporters most of whom were from the minority communities of Muslims were spotted carrying party flags in their vehicles. The traffic police had tough time to maintain movement of vehicles in the city.

Alongside, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren told media persons that the ED should arrest him if he has committed any crime.

“ If I have committed a big crime, come and arrest me. Why the questioning?”, The Indian Express has quoted him as saying on the day he was supposed to appear before the ED.

The ED had arrested Pankaj Mishra, a close aide of Soren and his MLA representative in the Barhait Assembly constituency in Santhal Pargana division of Jharkhand.This was in July.

In September, the ED had informed a special court  in Ranchi that it had detected illegal mining of stones worth more than Rs 1000 crore in Sahibganj district of Santhal Parganaand adjoining areas of Jharkhand, all controlled by Mishra.