Before the launch of raids the CRPF closed all the exits of the building and posted its personnel on the entry and exit gates. This resulted in great inconvenience to the residents of the building. It may be mentioned here that CRPF did not inform the state police about the raids and neither sought their help. But the residents of the building sought the help of the state Police for facilitating their exit and entry.

The CRPF was not allowing their children to go to coaching etc and even patients to visit hospitals and buy medicines. The working personnel were also not allowed to leave for their offices. This created a curfew like situation. After receiving complaints by the residents state Police sent its personnel for their rescue. The state Police requested the CRPF to allow movement of residents. The state Police and CRPF exchanged heated arguments and also some blows. The local TV channels showed the strange situation live. But despite prolonged arguments CRPF declined to budge from its stand. Meanwhile a message came from the PMO asking state government to withdraw their Police.

Sleuths of Income Tax Department launched pre-dawn searches on Sunday at about 50 locations in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh against people linked to Chief Minister Kamal Nath on charges of alleged tax evasion, one officer said. A team of about 200 IT department and police officers swooped down on these premises at around 3 am. The searches are linked to suspected movement of hawala money during the ongoing polls and tax evasion, he added.

Locations in Indore, Bhopal and Delhi (Gren Park) are being raided and those being searched include Nath’s former officer on Special Duty (OSD) Praveen Kakkad, former adviser Rajendra Miglani and executives linked to his brother-in-law’s firm Moser Bayer and his nephew Ratul Puri’s company they said.

In Bhopal raids were also conducted at Ashwini Sharma who is said to be a close aid of Kakkad. Sharma’s residence at Platinum Plaza was searched. Another team raided Sharma’s associate Pratek Joshi, who lives close to Sharma’s place. Sources said that cash stashed in suitcases was recovered from residential premises of Prateek Joshi and Ashwini Sharma. Media could only speculate the amount of cash after currency counting machines were bought to count notes. Reports suggest that Sharma owns a fleet of luxury cars and was involved in liaison work with the government. Replying to a question on his association with Praveen Kakkad and CM Sharma said, “Main BJP ka aadmi hun (I am a BJP man)’.

Kakkad was an officer in MP Police and even posted as TI in Bhawarkua Police station of Indore till few years go. Later he resigned and became the OSD of then Union Minister and MP from Jhabua Kntilal Bhuria. During this period he increased his contacts rapidly. In the meantime he was involved in big land deals at By-pass and Arandia villas near Indore. In December 2018, when the Congress came to power and Kamal Nath became Chief Minister, Kakkad was appointed his OSD.

During demonetisation Kakkad had deposited Rs. 80 lakh in banks. Following the deposit the IT department had served a notice to him seeking explanation on the sources of amount. Though Kakkad had replied to the notice his reply was not satisfactory. In the meantime the department was continuously getting information of pilling of huge amount by him from different people. It was also feared that he would spend the amount in the LS election in favour of a particular party. However before he could do anything, the IT department cracked whip on him on Sunday morning.

The IT raids caused a mini political storm in the state. While Chief Minister Kamal Nath said that we are ready to face dirty tactics by the BJP several leaders of the BJP asked Kaml Nath to quit forthwith. Terming the raids as terror act, Chief Minister Kamal Nath said seeing its immanent defeat in Lok Sabha elections BJP was trying to terrorise them (Congress) misusing constitutional bodies. “When they have nothing to speak on development and five years achievement then they adopt such gimmicks to divert attention but Congress will not be subdued by such acts” he added.

Leader of Opposition in Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha Gopal Bhargava demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Kamal Nath over the “recovery of black money from his OSD and people related to him”. Though the IT department is yet to release any seizure data, Bhargava said “The CM must clarify the source of the black money recovered from the premises of Kakkad and Miglani. He should quit the post to ensure fair investigation into the case”. “I had raised the issue of mass transfers and excise contracts in the assembly and demanded a probe” the BJP veteran said.

The election commission has written to the Union revenue secretary with the “strong advise” that all agencies under its jurisdiction should keep the poll panel in the loop about all enforcement actions and that they should be “neutral, impartial and non-discriminatory”. It is learnt that the MP CEO had no inkling of the raids until 8 am though they started at 3 am. The Income tax nodal officer later informed the CEO that even the local office of the IT department had no prior information of the raids and the entire team for the raids, including CRPF personnel had come from Delhi. In fact the MP CEO is said to have conveyed to the EC that he had not received formal report from the IT nodal officer till 7 pm on Sunday evening,

This is probably why the EC wrote to the revenue secretary on Sunday evening saying that where use of illicit money was suspected for electoral purposes, “the chief electoral officer of the state concerned be kept suitably informed during the period of the model code of conduct”. (IPA Service)