Chandigarh, April 15 : The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday conducted raids at multiple locations of the Lovely Group, headed by AAP Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Ashok Kumar Mittal, in Jalandhar and Phagwara in Punjab.

Officials said the searches are being carried out in connection with alleged violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

Raids are underway at several locations, including Lovely Professional University (LPU), Lovely Autos, Lovely Sweets, and the Lovely Distance Education Centre. Residential premises and offices linked to Mittalâ??s family members, including his brothers Ramesh Mittal and Naresh Mittal, are also being searched.

More details are awaited.

Mittal, the founder Chancellor of LPU and Deputy Leader of the Rajya Sabha, is a prominent educationist in the state.

Ashok Mittal met Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with his family in 2023, where the former stressed the importance of promoting research in higher education. â??I also mentioned how LPU has been contributing to the national skill development mission by imparting industry-relevant education and training to its students,â?? Mittal was quoted as saying then.

He had said he expressed his gratitude to the Prime Minister for his support of the education sector and his appreciation for the governmentâ??s New Education Policy (NEP) initiative. Mittal and his wife, Rashmi Mittal, had presented a bouquet and a hand-woven phulkari shawl to the PM, while his daughter and son-in-law, Srishti and Sreshtha Khetan, had presented a frame that had a picture of PM Modi alongside his late mother.

Last year, LPUâ??s â??One India-2025â??, the annual mega cultural fest, was inaugurated by national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

Kejriwal expressed his admiration for the fest by saying, â??It feels like a grand festival of India is underway. The energy among the youth is incredible.â?? He had highlighted Indiaâ??s strength in diversity, noting, â??One nation, many languages, cultures, philosophy - but one Hindustan. This diversity is our strength.â??

/IANS