Violence broke out here on Wednesday during protests by Congress workers against the arrest of their leader DK Shivakumar by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an alleged case of money laundering.
People were heard raising slogans against the Centre and the probe agency. The protestors, who were wielding lathis in their hands, were also seen clashing with the police.
Congress workers are staging a protest in various parts of the country including Bengaluru, Mysuru, Ramnagara, and Delhi against the arrest of Shivakumar.
The Congress party has also given a call for statewide protest today in Karnataka."Shivakumar was available for questioning. He was cooperating. If the ED has evidence, it should have prosecuted him. We all have seen the Income Tax raids on Congress leaders before the assembly and parliamentary elections," said Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Dinesh Gundu Rao while addressing protestors here.
The Congress leader accused the BJP of arresting Shivakumar to divert the public's attention from the poor growth rate in the country's gross domestic product (GDP), which slowed to 5 per cent in the first quarter of the current financial year."The economy is in shambles. People are losing jobs. That is why the BJP is doing this to divert the attention of the people from the economy," added.
He said the Central government is targeting the opposition leader. "We are living in an authoritarian state. A fascist government is ruling the country," said Rao.
In Mysuru, Congress workers led by former lawmaker Ramesh Bandi Siddegowda protested at Srirangapatna against the arrest of their party leader. Protests were also witnessed in Channapattan area of Ramanagara district.Meanwhile, protests were also reported from the national capital. A group of Congress workers gathered outside the RML Hospital in New Delhi and protested against the arrest of Shivakumar. Party leader KC Venugopal and MP DK Suresh also joined the protest.
ED arrested Shivakumar on Tuesday evening. On August 29, the Karnataka High Court had dismissed his petition challenging the summons issued by the ED in December 2018. Later that night, he was summoned by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and was asked to appear before it on August 30, following which he was interrogated for four days.The 57-year-old leader had earlier asserted that he had not done anything wrong and would fully cooperate with the investigating agency.
( With inputs from ANI )