IT dept dismisses "Yeddyurappa diary" as "forgery document"
Bengaluru, Mar 22: The Income Tax Department Saturday dismissed as a "forgery document" and a "set of loose papers", the 'Yeddyurappa diary' about alleged bribe payment to top BJP brass that has created a political furore.
The Congress, citing a media report, had Friday demanded a Lokpal probe into the charge that the state BJP chief had paid Rs 1,800 crore as bribe to the party top brass, which Yeddyurappa had dismissed as "atrocious and malicious."
"Our conclusion after studying it was that it is a forgery document. It is a set of loose papers," principal chief Income Tax Commissioner of Karnataka-Goa Region B R Balakrishnan told reporters.
He said "There was an attempt to just make use of the diary to influence some other investigation, which we have not succumbed to. We have done our job in this case as well."
The documents, which were photocopies, were seized from Karnataka water resources minister D K Shivakumar's residence during a raid carried out by the Income Tax department on August 2, 2017, he said.
The papers were sent to the forensic science laboratory in Hyderabad, which returned it saying that they need the original papers, Balakrishnan added.
He said that whatever came out in the magazine (Caravan) which broke the story was not part of the Income Tax department's seized material.
Balakrishnan stated that in view of various Supreme Court decisions on admissible evidence, "this particular diary has no evidentiary value."
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala had said at a press conference in New Delhi that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should come forward and clarify on the matter.
Yeddyurappa had said that "all issues raised by Congress leaders are irrelevant and false."
"The issue is a closed chapter," he had said, adding that he was consulting legal experts on the issue and thinking about filing a defamation case.
Meanwhile, the state BJP demanded that the Congress leaders apologise after Balakrishnan dubbed the alleged diary as loose sheets of paper and a forgery document.
"Congress leaders who levelled false allegations against BJP and its leaders stand exposed in public.
If Congress leaders have left any sensibility in them and respect for public sentiments, they should immediately apologise," the party said.
Regarding the outcome of raids at a Karnataka minister's residence, (apparently referring to Shivakumar), Balakrishnan, without mentioning his name, said the process to confiscate the Benami property worth Rs 75 crore has been initiated.
"The immediate consequence of a Benami transaction is that you lose the property. Prosecution is a different thing. We will think about that," Balakrishnan added.
Balakrishnan, who called a press conference to give details about the IT department's achievements in the Karnataka-Goa region in the last one year, said the region showed collection of Rs 1.11 lakh crore.
It carried out more than 300 surveys, resulting in detection of undisclosed income of Rs 911 crore, he said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
