After a series of interrogation for the last several days, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday arrested Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar in connection with a money laundering case. Earlier in the day, the senior leader was questioned by the agency for the fifth straight day in Delhi. Shivakumar, the former cabinet minister and sitting MLA from the Kanakapura seat, has been placed under arrest under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Here are the highlights:
11:00 pm: Ramalinga Reddy, Congress on arrest of DK Shivakumar: This is 100% politically motivated. Central government is misusing Income Tax Dept, ED, Reserve Bank of India, Election Commission, everything. Since 5 years they are doing this. They are killing democracy.
10:45 pm: Karnataka Congress has called a statewide protest tomorrow, against the arrest of party leader DK Shivakumar by Enforcement Directorate.
10:30 pm: WATCH | A supporter of Congress leader DK Shivakumar cries and tears off his clothes outside RML Hospital where the leader has been taken for medical tests. DK Shivakumar has been arrested by Enforcement Directorate under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
#WATCH Delhi: A supporter of Congress leader DK Shivakumar cries and tears off his clothes outside RML Hospital where the leader has been taken for medical tests. DK Shivakumar has been arrested by Enforcement Directorate under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). pic.twitter.com/BHvgr8hNSF
— ANI (@ANI) September 3, 2019
10:00 pm: WATCH | Congress national spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala reacts to DK Shivakumar's arrest by ED.
उरà¥ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂवरक,ऑटोमोबाइल,टेकà¥ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂसटाइल व रिफाइनरी सà¤à¥€ बेरोजगारी की मार से जूà¤Â रहे है।
इन सबसे देश का धà¥ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂयान à¤à¤Ÿà¤•à¤¾à¤¨à¥‡ के लिà¤Â आà¤Â दिन कांगà¥ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂरेस के नेताओ पर à¤ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂूठे व बदले की à¤à¤¾à¤µà¤¨à¤¾ से पà¥ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂरेरित मà¥ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂकदमे बनाà¤Â जा रहे है।
डी.के शिवकà¥ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂमार जी की गिरफà¥ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂतारी à¤à¥€ बदले की आग से धधकती हà¥ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂई BJP की à¤ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂसी ही कारà¥ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂयवाही है! pic.twitter.com/z6Yj6uE0Be— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) September 3, 2019
09:50 pm: Ruckus outside the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office as supporters of Congress leader DK Shivakumar gather in large numbers.
Delhi: Ruckus outside the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office as supporters of Congress leader DK Shivakumar gather in large numbers. He has been arrested by the agency, under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). pic.twitter.com/v7Kg7dm2IG
— ANI (@ANI) September 3, 2019
09:40 pm: BJP continues to unleash political vendetta on congress leaders by using the CBI, ED and other government agencies. Let me remind both PM Modi and Mr. Amit Shah that the misuse of CBI, ED and Income Tax Department is not going to weaken the Congress party. I am confident that the Supreme Court will give relief to the unwarranted harassment that is going on: Congress leader Prakash Rathod on Shivakumar's arrest.
09:30 pm: On Congress' allegations of vendetta politics, Karnataka BJP spokesperson S Prakash said this is a clear case of corruption and there is no political motivation behind it. The Congressmen are making baseless allegations.
09:25 pm: After days of interrogation, without allowing even a day's break for the festival, ED now cites non-cooperation to arrest DK Shivakumar. The ruling govt is using investigation agencies to oppress those opposition leaders who they think are a threat to their interests: Former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy.
09:20 pm: In another tweet, Shivakumar wrote, "I appeal to my party cadre, supporters and well-wishers to not be disheartened as I have 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".
I appeal to my party cadre, supporters and well-wishers to not be disheartened as I have done nothing illegal.
I have full faith in God & in our country's Judiciary and am very confident that I will emerge victorious both legally and politically against this vendetta politics.— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) September 3, 2019
09:15 pm: "I congratulate my BJP friends for finally being successful in their mission of arresting me. The IT and ED cases against me are politically motivated and I am a victim of BJP's politics of vengeance and vendetta," Shivakumar tweeted shortly after his arrest.
09:10 pm: Reacting to the development, Congress said, "We strongly condemn the high-handed tactics and vendetta politics being deployed against Congress leaders. The arrest of Shri DK Shivakumar is yet another attempt by the govt to distract the public from their failed policies and the sorry state of the economy".
We strongly condemn the high-handed tactics & vendetta politics being deployed against Congress leaders. The arrest of Shri @DKShivakumar is yet another attempt by the govt to distract the public from their failed policies & the sorry state of the economy.#BJPVendettaPolitics
— Congress (@INCIndia) September 3, 2019
09:05 pm: The continuous interrogation and harassment of DK Shivakumar is writ-large: Former Karnataka chief minister M Veerappa Moily.
09:00 pm: However, the senior Congress leader had denied any wrongdoing and termed it an attempt by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to harass him.
08:55 pm: ED had in September last year registered a money laundering case against Shivakumar, Haumanthaiah, an employee at Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi, and others.
08:50 pm: Shivakumar will be produced before a court in the national capital on Wednesday by the Enforcement Directorate for seeking his custody.
08:45 pm: The Congress leader needs to be put through custodial interrogation and hence was arrested, officials said.
08:40 pm:Â In 2017, the Income Tax Department had seized about Rs 8 crore from DK Shivkumar following raids in multiple cities across India. ED was investigating the disproportionate funds recovered by the IT-Dept.