New Delhi, September 3: Reacting to the arrest of DK Shivakumar by Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday evening, one of his supporters burst into tears and tore off his clothes. A video, shared by news agency ANI, shows a teary-eyed supporter of DK Shivkumar tearing off his clothes in grief outside the RML hospital. Shivakumar, who was arrested by the ED in a money laundering case, was brought at the RML hospital for a medical checkup. DK Shivakumar Arrested by ED: Congress Hits Out at BJP For 'High-Handed Tactics And Vendetta', Calls For Karnataka Bandh.
A ruckus ensued outside the ED office in the national capital soon after the financial probe agency arrested Shivakumar. The former Karnataka minister is accused of being involved in 'hawala' transactions in violation of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The ED had in September last year registered the money laundering case against Shivakumar based on a chargesheet filed by the Income Tax department.
DK Shivakumar's Supporter Bursts Into Tears Hearing News of His Arrest:
#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
The Congress party termed Shivakumar's arrest "illegal" and said the Modi government is indulging in vendetta politics to deflect the public's attention from its "misdeeds". "We strongly condemn the high-handed tactics and vendetta politics being deployed against Congress leaders. The arrest of DK Shivakumar is yet another attempt by the government to distract the public from their failed policies and the sorry state of the economy," the Congress tweeted.
Moments after his arrest, Shivakumar took a dig at the BJP "congratulating" his friends in the ruling party for "finally being successful in their mission of arresting" him. "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.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 03, 2019 11:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).