Jalandhar/New Delhi, 15 April

The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday conducted searches against AAP Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Kumar Mittal and educational institutions promoted by him and his family in Punjab and Haryana as part of a FEMA probe, officials said.

About 10 locations in Jalandhar, its nearby areas and Gurugram are being covered under the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), they said.

This includes the premises of the Lovely Professional University (LPU) located in Phagwara (Kapurthala district) and two linked educational institutions -- Tetr College of Business and Masters Union College of Business -- located in Gurugram, ED officials said.

Mittal was recently appointed the deputy leader of the Aam Aadmi Party in the Rajya Sabha, replacing MP Raghav Chadha. The 61-year-old AAP leader is also the Chancellor of LPU.

His son, Pratham Mittal, founded the Gurugram-based educational institutions.

A response from the three institutions regarding a PTI query on this action is awaited.

The ED, according to the officials, is looking at certain overseas financial transactions of these educational institutions as part of the FEMA investigation.

Preliminary statements of some persons found during the searches have been recorded, they said.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann strongly condemned the raids, saying the BJP has begun its "preparations" for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state currently ruled by the AAP.

AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, along with Punjab ministers and MLAs, also condemned the ED action against Mittal while sharing Mann’s post on X, accusing the Centre of misusing central investigating agencies.