Bharadwaj alleged that ED officers tampered with documents, pressured him to alter his statement, and destroyed evidence (File Photo)Former minister and AAP’s Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj has written to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) director, alleging “grave irregularities” in the conduct of officers who searched his residence earlier this week in connection with an alleged hospital construction scam.In a letter dated August 27, Bharadwaj claimed that during the 19-hour-long search at his South Delhi home – from 7.15 am on August 26 to 2.20 am on August 27 – ED officers tampered with documents, pressured him to alter his statement, and destroyed evidence.Bharadwaj alleged that his statement under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) was recorded on the laptop of Assistant Director Mayank Arora, and later “externally shared through Internet-based platforms such as Google Drive/WhatsApp using my residence WiFi”.He further alleged that he was “repeatedly pressured” by officers to delete or modify portions of his statement, particularly those referencing the Lieutenant Governor and Delhi government officials, and was then presented with an altered version to sign. “I categorically refused,” Bharadwaj wrote, adding that he was “subtly threatened with arrest” under PMLA provisions if he did not comply.The AAP leader also accused officials of preparing “multiple versions” of the seizure memo. He claimed that in the first version, an affidavit filed by the Delhi Health department in the High Court – which he said supported his case that he had expedited hospital projects – was included, but later removed in a subsequent version, with the original allegedly destroyed.Further, he questioned the panch witnesses, who, according to him, “blindly signed the manipulated seizure memo,” questioning their impartiality.Bharadwaj has now urged the ED director to seize the laptop of the concerned officer as well as his home printer that was connected to it, and order a forensic examination of both devices by an independent agency to establish the sequence of events and alterations made.Story continues below this adBharadwaj had made similar allegations at a press conference earlier this week, where he had addressed the press with his printer by his side.“I cannot remain silent in the face of such grave procedural improprieties, evidence tampering, and misuse of authority by certain officers of your agency,” Bharadwaj wrote.His residence had been raided earlier this week, in connection with alleged irregularities in the construction of 24 hospitals.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Enforcement Directorate (ED)Saurabh Bharadwaj