Pramesh Jain
ED arrests Congress’s Troubleshooter DK Shivakumar, in Money laundering case
The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday arrested Karnataka’s senior Congress leader DK Shivakumar who is also known as Trouble shooter of Karnataka Congress in an alleged money laundering case.The probe agency’s action came hours after it questioned him for the fourth day.
Security has been heightened in and around Enforcement Directorate office in New Delhi in view of ruckus created by DK Shivakumar supporters.
Reports says more than 5000 supporters will March from Bengaluru-Delhi to protest against the Central Government for misusing the central agenciesand in front of their office they will intensify their protest condemning the arrest of their leader.
The Enforcement Directorate told reporters that,DK Shivakumar was not cooperating with the investigation.The investigating agency will produce the Kanakapura MLA before a court on Wednesday to seek his custody.Shivakumar’s supporters gathered outside the Enforcement Directorate office in Delhi to and created high drama and they protested against his arrest.
After he was arrested by Enforcement directorate he tweeted by saying,I congratulate my BJP friends for finally being successful in their mission of arresting me,Shivakumar said.The IT and ED cases against me are politically motivated and I am a victim of BJP’s politics of vengeance and vendetta.The Congress leader also asked party workers and supporters to not be disheartened as he had done nothing illegal.I have full faith in God and in our country’s Judiciary and am very confident that I will emerge victorious both legally and politically against this vendetta politics,the Congress leader tweeted.
The Congress also condemned Shivakumar’s arrest,calling it Vendetta politics.We strongly condemn the high-handed tactics and vendetta politics being deployed against Congress leaders, the official Twitter handle of the party said. The arrest of Shri DK Shivakumar is yet another attempt by the government to distract the public from their failed policies and the sorry state of the economy.The Karnataka unit of the Congress has called a statewide protest on Wednesday.
The agency had first summoned Shivakumar on last Friday after the Karnataka High Court had rejected his plea challenging the notice sent to him.
Shivakumar’s questioning in the case went on till late on Friday night,through Saturday and continued on Monday after a break on Sunday.
In September 2018,the Enforcement Directorate had registered a money laundering case against Shivakumar and a few other leaders under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.The case was registered on the basis of a chargesheet that the Income Tax Department filed against him earlier in 2018 in a special court in Bengaluru for allegedly evading tax and for alleged hawala transactions worth crores of rupees.
In late July and early August of 2017, Shivakumar managed the stay of 44 Congress MLAs from Gujarat at a resort near Bengaluru ahead of the election for a Rajya Sabha seat.The Congress had put them up at the resort to prevent them from allegedly being poached by the Bharatiya Janata Party.Shivakumar was first raided by the Income Tax Department during that time.
The Income Tax Department has filed four cases against Shivakumar based on the raids since then.Investigators are believed to have recovered more than Rs 300 crore in undisclosed income,and cash and jewellery worth nearly Rs 15 crore.
The Income Tax Department said that Shivakumar and his associate Sunil Kumar Sharma used to transport huge amounts of unaccounted cash on a regular basis through illegal channels with help of three other accused.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Karnataka unit of the Congress condemned the Enforcement Directorate’s actions and called it Vendetta of the worst kind.What happened to cases against Mukul Roy,HB Sharma and others who joined BJP,the Karnataka Congress asked on Twitter.Is joining BJP the criteria for ED-CBI to target people? We condemn this bias from the enforcement agencies. There is no law of land. Several other Congress leaders also voiced their support for Shivakumar and said it was a political vendetta against him.
Ruckus outside the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office as supporters of Congress leader DK Shivakumar gather in large numbers.
DK Shivakumar supporter cries and tears off his clothes outside RML Hospital where the leader has been taken for a medical test.
Former Mayor G Padamavati with Senior Congress Leaders from Bengaluru Ramalinga Reddy also rushed to Delhi to meet their leader who was been grilled by ED for four days.
Many protesters staged protest against ED and BJP government for arresting congress leader DK Shivakumar they raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
DK Shivakumar supporters create ruckus in Bengaluru.Congress protesting at Gandhi statue, Maurya circle, Bengaluru.
Following the Congress leader’s arrest on Tuesday, stones were pelted on 5 KSRTC buses in Satanur, the native place of Shivakumar, and in Channapatana and Ramanagara. 3 buses from Kanakapura depot and 1 from Channapatna depot were vandalised by stone pelters.Two KSRTC buses have been fully vandalised as the supporters as goons in Kanakapura and Ramnagara has set KSRTC buses to ablaze as set on fire.Late night Stone pelting reported A KSRTC bus vehicle no.F 4574 (Mark3) at Uppinangadi around 11:55pm.No injuries but damage to front glass of the vehicle.incidence, stone pelt near Oklipuram, back glass damaged, schedule no 165/166, towards Bangalore to Udupi, vehicle no_F1014.,conductor Madhu.eye injury, Udupi depot said KSRTC PRO.
High tension has been created in Kanakapura as the Congress party supporters of DK Shivakumar has intensified their protest many have burnt tyres they even hited from slippers PM Modi and Amit Shah’s posters.
The protest has been turned into violent and the goons have damaged many public properties as more than 7 KSRTC buses has been damaged by the supporters of DK Shivakumar.
In kanakapura Police have resorted laticharge on the supporters of DK Shivakumar in Kanakapura heavy police has been deployed Senior officers are at spot.
Additional force has been deployed at Enforcement Directorate office in Wilson garden and at Income Tax office near Indian Express.
Protests intensified across Karnataka condemning the arrest of the seven-time legislator and former Energy, Water Resources Minister. On Tuesday, effigies of BJP leaders were also burnt in Ramanagara as part of intense protests across major roads and key areas of the town.
Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) PRO said that they are monitoring the situation.We are monitoring situation,directed divisional officers to take action of services suspension based on local situation. Control rooms have been activated and divisional officers have been asked to act suitably, it said.
Meanwhile karnataka DG&IGP, Neelamani N Raju has instructed all the commissionerate with Bengaluru Rural IGPs have also been alerted for precautionary measures to be taken in Mysore,Mandya,Ramanagar Chamarajanagar and other areas.
The Income Tax raid and the chargesheet.
Income Tax sleuths have accused DK Shivakumar of developing a hawala network to funnel money to the Congress high command.The Income Tax Department allegedly found Rs 8.83 crore unaccounted cash in New Delhi and accused DK Shivakumar of purchasing various properties in the national capital via the money that was funnelled through the alleged hawala network.In its complaint before the Special Court for Economic Offences,the I-T sleuths had alleged that DK Shivakumar had sent the cash to All India Congress Committee (AICC).
According to the complaint filed by the I-T Department in the court,the sleuths had seized undisclosed cash,which was allegedly handed over to one Mulgund by DK Shivakumar in three instalments of Rs 5 crore, Rs 3 crore and Rs 2 crore each.
I-T investigators also accused DK Shivakumar of procuring the services of Sunil Kumar Sharma,owner of Sharma Transport,Anjaneya Hanumanthaiah, the Liaison Officer in New Delhi’s Karnataka Bhavan,Rajendra N,an employee of Sharma Transport; and his business associate Sachin Narayana for allegedly transporting the cash.
It is pertinent to note that unaccounted cash of Rs.8.5 crore has been found and seized in four premises of Delhi which are directly relatable to DKS.Three flats were purchased in Safdarjung Enclave.Among these flats,Flat No.107,B-2, purchased by DKS,and Flat No.17,B-4, was purchased by Sachin Narayan and Flat No.201,B-5,was purchased by late Suresh Sharma,the Deputy Director of Income-Tax (Investigation),Income Tax Department, stated in the chargesheet.
Senior Congress leaders have condemned Shivakumar’s arrest and said that the BJP government was playing vendetta politics.
In the wake of Shivakumar’s arrest, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Dinesh Gundu Rao has also directed all district units of the party to stage protests on Wednesday.
Former Deputy CM G Parameshwara tweets,We have witnessed an absolute exploitation of power with the arrest of DK Shivakumar.DK Shivakumar has been arrested despite full co-operation from him for days.He is a victim of political vendetta. We trust our judiciary and I am sure justice will be served.
Former Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah tweets,Opposition leaders are being targeted each and every day using central government agencies.It is just an attempt to divert the attention from structural failures of BJP government and also to prevent the voices of dissent.DK Shivakumar is also a victim of their vindictive politics.(sic).DK Shivakumar will definitely come out clean and the whole country will understand the ulterior motives of BJP. We are all with him in these difficult times and shall provide him with full support (sic),Siddaramaiah said in another tweet.
Senior Congress leader,Veerappa Moily has issued a statement on DK Shivakumar’s arrest.Tax terrorism which led to [Cafe Coffee Day owner] VG Siddharth’s death is happening again. DK is being treated as a criminal,he said.
The arrest of @DKShivakumar is a clear sign of political vendetta that is being played by the current @BJP4India Govt. It is appalling how the govt is using @IncomeTaxIndia and ED to suppress the opposition, using them as tool for harassment is highly questionable,HK Patil Senior Congress leader tweeted.
Vindictive politics,claims HD Kumaraswamy.Vindictive politics has become the order of the day. Opposition leaders are easy victims of power misuse. In public life, we need to be strong to face baseless allegations and conspiracies.I am sure DK Shivakumar is strong enough to face this vindictive agenda against him,he said.
Statement of AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal.The arrest of Shri DK Shivakumar is a clear case of political vendetta by the fascist BJP government at the centre.After Shri.Chidambaram, yet another leader facing vengeance for standing up against the horse-trading and petty politics of the BJP. By these actions, ED & CBI has proved to be the puppet agents of the Government at the Centre. A wrong trend has been set by the Modi Government to harass and hunt down the political opponents with fabricated allegations.Although there are well proved and explicit cases of black money transactions and money laundering during the political horse-trading in Karnataka by the BJP leaders, the central investigating agencies have not registered any cases against BJP leaders.DK.Shivakumar, being the strong and obedient Congress leader in Karnataka,was always a target of the BJP. Although he unhesitatingly appeared for the questioning and cooperated with the investigations,the Enforcement Directorate is seemingly obeying the command from their masters.It is evident that the government is desperately trying to hide its outright failure in checking the economic slowdown and financial crisis with shameless harassment of political opponents.I strongly condemn this politics of vengeance and harassment he said in his tweets and speaking to reporters.
Apparently @DKShivakumar has been arrested for “non cooperation”. This is a case of witch hunt by BJP & this seems to be standard operating procedure for suppressing the opposition.All corruption cases against BJP members have come to a standstill. Ex:Mukul Roy,Himanta Sharma.CBI, IT, ED & other agencies go slow against cases of BJP while fast track opposition’s.What happened to -BJP MLA who tried to bribe judge-Notice served for lavish wedding-Mining cases of Goa/K’taka -TDP MPs who joined BJP-Goa MLAs who joined BJP-Mr. Roy/Mr. Sarma,Priyank Kharge tweeted.
We condemn this brazen attempt by govt to silence anyone who raises their voice. With an intention to defame, blackmail & threaten,the Modi govt has launched this politically motivated attack on their opponents.We stand with @DKShivakumar and will fight this Hitler raj of BJP,Sowmya Reddy Jayanagar Congress MLA tweeted.
The arrest of @DKShivakumar Ji’s is an ugly face of political vendetta.I truly condemned this Democratic carnage. #DKShivakumar#WeStandWithDKS tweeted by Lakshmi Hebbalkar congress leader.
DK Shivakumar has been kept under Medical Observations by the doctors at RML Hospital in New Delhi as his BP has been low and sugar has been high so to bring it under control the doctors are kept him under observation.
On Wednesday the Enforcement Directorate will produce the Former Water resource minister of Karnataka DK Shivakumar to ED Special Court.
Meanwhile DK Shivakumar mother Gowramma is being treated at her house as her Blood Pressure has been low.
Protesters have blocked the Bengaluru – Kanakapura road and Bus services has been suspended.
Massive protest to take place in Bengaluru tomorrow at 11 am against BJP’s central and state government for ‘misusing IT, CBI, ED departments and unethically arresting Congress leader DK Shivakumar. The protest will be attended by all Congress, JD-S leaders and Shivakumar supporters.
