Kumaraswamy dubs raid on JD(S) leaders as politically motivated
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said on Thursday that the income tax raid on JD(S) leaders overseeing the electioneering of his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy in Mandya and nephew Prajwal Revanna in Hassan was "politically motivated" and he would stage a demonstration against it in Bengaluru along with Congress leaders.
"I am going to stage a demonstration in Bengaluru. Let the whole nation see how the income tax department is being misused. These raids are politically motivated," a visibly upset Kumaraswamy told reporters in Mysuru.
The pre-dawn raids at 15 to 20 places triggered an angry backlash from Congress as well as JD(S) leaders.
More importantly, the raids were on people who were monitoring the electioneering of the two belonging to the Gowda family, including state minor irrigation minister C S Puttaraju and his nephew Ashok, who is a district Panchayat member in Mysuru.
Nikhil Kumaraswamy and Prajwal Revanna are testing political waters for the first time under the tutelage of Kumaraswamy and PWD minister H D Revanna.
Asserting that he had predicted the raids Wednesday night itself, Kumaraswamy said for the first time the I-T officials raided government offices too, such as PWD office in Hassan and Tahsildar office in Kanakapura.
Accusing the principal chief commissioner of income tax department (Karnataka-Goa region) B R Balakrishnan of acting as a "political agent", the chief minister said he was eyeing on a gubernatorial position post retirement.
"A BJP leader sends list of people to Amit Shah, who eventually forwards it to Balakrishnan to carry out raids. Balakrishnan is acting as an agent of BJP. It seems that he wants a post retirement position such as governor of some state," he added.
Kumaraswamy questioned BJP state chief B S Yeddyurappa as to whether he could win elections without money.
"Note counting machine was found during raids at BJP leaders' houses. They are now teaching us about honesty. Did the I-T officials find note counting machine at Puttaraju's house? They are out to frighten us but the fact is the BJP is shaken and wants to win election by intimidating us. We are not the ones who get scared," said the chief minister.
The raids did not perturb Revanna. Speaking to reporters in Hassan, he said, "So long as I have the blessings of Sringeri Sharadamba and Shankaracharya, nothing will happen...Anybody conspiring against me or trying black magic will be destroyed. I am so well protected."
Former chief minister and Congress strongman Siddaramaiah said if the BJP thought that these intimidation tactics would win them the election, then they are wrong in their assumption.
Yeddyurappa rubbished the charges, saying the Income Tax department was doing its duty and it should not be linked with politics.
Meanwhile, the income tax department in a press release in the wake of the chief minister's statements to the press, said no MP, MLA or minister had been covered in the searches and they were being carried out on the basis of credible information received.
"Certain searches are being carried out by the income tax department in Karnataka Goa on contractors and connected persons. No MP, MLA or minister have so far been covered in the searches. These searches are being carried out on the basis of credible information received," it said.
The searches were carried out on a wide range of professions and businesses including bureaucrats, breweries, MNCs, mining barons, diagnostic centres, trusts, educational institutions, medical colleges, real estate, fisheries, and film industry and including politically exposed persons, said the release.
It also said these searches have resulted in collecting credible evidence on tax evasion. The searches on politically exposed persons have covered their entire range of the political spectrum.
The I-T department also said CRPF personnel being used for the searches had not been flown from outside the state.
"While it is true that CRPF is being used for providing security, the said central armed police personnel were requisitioned from the State Police (ADGP Law and Order) following normal protocol and have not been flown in outside the state," the release said.
The department also said its activities should not be politicised, personalised or trivialised.
"We also request that the activities of the income tax department should not be politicised, personalised or trivialised. In particular statements which sound like an incitement to physical violence issued by persons holding very responsible posts are deeply deplorable," it added.
The Income Tax department is committed to carrying out its functions in a professional and fearless manner. The Department will act on credible information regardless of political affiliations, the release said.
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Codeine syrup seized in UP; six held in separate operations in Etah, Mirzapur
Etah/Mirzapur (PTI) The Uttar Pradesh Police have intensified their crackdown on the alleged illegal trade, diversion and distribution of regulated codeine-based cough syrup, arresting six persons in separate operations in Etah and Mirzapur districts, officials said on Monday.
The action comes as the probe widened into the alleged codiene syrup trafficking racket, suspected to be involved in illicit trade estimated to be worth hundreds of crores -- with links stretching across several states and possibly beyond international borders.
In Etah, a joint team of the Agra anti-narcotics unit and Aliganj police recovered 47 cartons of codeine-based cough syrup, estimated to be worth around Rs 50 lakh, from a tobacco warehouse under Aliganj police station area limits Sunday night.
Four persons, including a retired serviceman, were arrested on the spot, police said.
According to police, the raid was carried out at a warehouse in Nagla Bani village following a tip-off. Preliminary investigation revealed that the seized cough syrup bore the name of a Baddi-based pharmaceutical company, 'Wings', but the batch numbers printed on the wrappers had been deliberately scratched off, indicating that the consignment was illegally manufactured.
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The arrested accused have been identified as Jitendra Yadav, Jitendra Shakya, Pramod Shakya and Punjab Singh, a retired soldier. Cases have been registered against them under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and other relevant sections, and further investigation is underway, police said.
Official sources said the Etah recovery is suspected to be linked to Varanasi-based drug trader, Shubham Jaiswal, who is allegedly associated with an international drug syndicate.
A lookout circular has already been issued against him, while his father was arrested earlier from Kolkata. The main accused remains absconding, officials said.
In a separate development, Mirzapur police arrested two more accused -- Ajit Yadav and Akshat Yadav -- in connection with a case of illegal supply of codeine-based cough syrup registered at Adalhat police station. The arrests were made on Sunday evening following sustained investigation of the suspects, police said.
According to officials, the two accused had allegedly floated firms using forged Aadhaar cards and supplied cough syrup through fake documentation.
During investigation, police found that transactions worth over Rs 1 crore had been routed through bank accounts opened in Varanasi in the name of the fake firms.
Police said Akshat Yadav, proprietor of a firm named A K Distributors, was supplied around 36 litre of New Phensedyl cough syrup (100 ml bottles) from a trader based in Ranchi, Jharkhand.
The firm was found to be non-functional on the ground, and records showed it had been opened only once or twice without carrying out any genuine pharmaceutical business.
Further scrutiny revealed that the Aadhaar card used for obtaining the drug licence carried a Mirzapur address and was forged, while a different Aadhaar card with a Varanasi address was used for banking purposes, pointing to deliberate fabrication of documents, police said. The firm's bank account in Varanasi showed a turnover of around Rs 1.28 crore.
The two accused have been booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the NDPS Act and sent to jail. Police said involvement of more suspects is likely and the investigation is ongoing.
Officials said the recoveries and arrests form part of a broader state-wide investigation into the illegal diversion of codeine-based cough syrup, a regulated drug.
