Tamil Nadu: After raids, ED takes DMK minister Senthil Balaji for questioning

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], June 14 : Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji was taken by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning here in Chennai in the wee hours of Wednesday.

The action came after ED sleuths concluded their day-long raids at the DMK leader's Karur residence and his office at the state secretariat in connection to an alleged money laundering case.

In addition to this, the premises of his brother and a close aide in Karur were also raided.

"He (V Senthil Balaji) has been taken by ED for questioning. We don't know where he is being taken," DMK Rajya Sabha MP NR Elango told ANI.

The DMK leader also alleged that Senthil Balaji didn't seem conscious when he was taken to the hospital by ED.

"The ED carried out raids at Senthil Balaji's house from Tuesday morning at 7 am till 2:30 am on Wednesday. They didn't allow him to meet any friends. Suddenly at 2 am, he was picked up from his residence and brought to Omandurar government hospital. It seems he was not conscious when he was admitted to the hospital," he alleged.

"We don't know the exact details of the medical condition but this is totally illegal and unconstitutional arrest. The grounds of arrest were not informed to him or his relatives or friends. In fact, his arrest is also not Informed to any of his friends or relatives," he said.

He added, "The Supreme Court has time and again said that these offences, even if being investigated by any agencies, 'A notice intersectional 41 capital is mandatory'. Balaji was detained from 7 am yesterday and picked up all of a sudden. ED has done an illegal act".

V Senthil Balaji, who is Minister for Electricity, Prohibition and Excise in the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government.

Earlier, Chief Minister MK Stalin also slammed the BJP-led Central government for the ED searches and said that the party is resorting to 'politics of intimidation'.

"BJP leadership is enacting 'politics of intimidation'. BJP's bid to intimidate through backdoor tactics like ED raids won't work," he said.

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