CBI raids DKS’s properties, Cong workers attempt to lockdown CM BSY’s house

KEY STORY

• The Congress youth wing on Monday held protests at various locations in the state condemning the search and seizure operations conducted by the CBI at various properties belonging to Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President DK Shivakumar and his brother, Bengaluru Rural MP DK Suresh.

• Simultaneously, protesters gathered at Maurya Circle in Bengaluru to condemn the search operations at Shivakumar’s properties. NSUI activists gathered outside Shivakumar’s Sadashivnagar residence in Bengaluru and sat down in protest while holding placards. “We want justice, we want justice”, “Down down CBI,” the protesters shouted.

Several Congress leaders condemned the CBI’s search operation and called it political vendetta by the ruling BJP. DK Shivakumar’s counsel AS Ponnanna said that the CBI was acting on orders from its political bosses.

“The Karnataka High Court on September 28, issued an interim order and had said no coercive steps should be taken against DK Shivakumar until the case is over. We had filed a writ petition and had asked for a stay on the CBI’s probe.

The state government had given CBI permission to conduct a probe in September last year. This raid is completely against court orders and is illegal. The CBi is acting on orders from its political bosses,” Ponnanna said.

The BJP meanwhile called the protests ridiculous and meaningless. BJP spokesperson Ganesh Karniak said, “CBI is doing its job. The present raid is in continuation of investigations started by ED in 2017,” he said.

 Deputy Chief Minister Dr CN Ashwath Narayan said that the investigation is independent of politics and the Congress party’s move of “painting it politically” is incorrect. “Income Tax department and Enforcement Directorate had earlier raided Shivakumar and CBI raids may be a continuation of it, so let’s not paint it with political colour.

The system is bigger than one person. Let the truth come out. It is not right to do politics on such a delicate issue. Some people are trying to get mileage by terming it politically motivated. There is no connection between the raids and the by-elections,” he said.