Gold smuggling case: Deputy CM DK Shivakumar alleges 'BJP links', 'game plan'
Bengaluru, Mar 12 (PTI): Dismissing reports linking two state ministers to the gold smuggling case involving Kannada actress Ranya Rao as mere "speculations," Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday demanded evidence and alleged a BJP "game plan" behind it.
Asserting that there are no Congress links to the gold smuggling case and that none of its ministers are involved, he stated that there may be a BJP connection.
"It's just unnecessary speculation. Which minister's name has come up? Has anyone seen or heard of it? When we politicians attend weddings or functions, hundreds of people take pictures with us. Just because someone takes a picture with me, does that mean they are related to me?" Shivakumar asked in response to a question.
Speaking to reporters, he said, "If someone who took a photo with me or the Chief Minister at a wedding or function is later involved in a crime, does that mean we are supporting them?"
Specify exactly who is involved. If there are facts about which minister is involved or who has supported them, please provide them. No minister will support such a crime—this is my clear stand, he added.
Citing media reports, the opposition BJP has been urging the Congress government and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to disclose the names of ministers allegedly involved in the gold smuggling case.
"Will you reveal which ministers are connected to gold smuggler Ranya?" the saffron party asked in a post on 'X,' tagging Karnataka Congress. The post included a picture of Siddaramaiah and Home Minister G Parameshwara with Ranya Rao and her family, likely taken at her wedding.
"There may be a BJP link, but no Congress link," Shivakumar said in response to a question. "There is nothing to it—no minister will be involved in such scandals. The Chief Minister has ordered an inquiry, including an investigation into the involvement of officials in any protocol violations."
Referring to airport security procedures, he stated that even rings, watches, and belts are removed during security checks. "I'm shocked that 14 kilos of gold could be smuggled through the airport despite these checks. There will be an investigation," he added.
"I'm sure this is a BJP game plan—no minister is involved in anything," he added.
Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, R Ashoka, said on Tuesday that rejecting reports of ministers' alleged links to the gold smuggling case before the investigation is complete amounts to an "attempt to influence" the probe.
Actor Ranya Rao, 34, was arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on March 3 upon her arrival at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport from Dubai. Gold bars worth Rs 12.56 crore were seized from her.
The following day, the DRI reported seizing gold jewellery worth Rs 2.06 crore and cash amounting to Rs 2.67 crore from her residence in Bengaluru.
Ranya is the stepdaughter of K Ramachandra Rao, a DGP-ranked police officer currently serving as the Chairman and Managing Director of the Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd.
The CBI has registered an FIR in the case.
The Karnataka government has appointed Additional Chief Secretary Gaurav Gupta to investigate Ramachandra Rao's possible involvement in his stepdaughter’s alleged gold smuggling activities.
Additionally, the government has ordered a CID investigation into alleged lapses and dereliction of duty by police officers at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), Bengaluru.
Ranya Rao is accused of smuggling gold, allegedly misusing protocol privileges.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
