Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Live
ED searches NCP MLA Hasan Mushrif’s house
PUNE: The enforcement directorate (ED) on Saturday conducted raids at the Kolhapur residence of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former minister Hasan Mushrif, in a money laundering case.
On Saturday early morning,a group of five to six ED officials conducted a search operation at Mushrif’s residence in Kagal, Kolhapur district.
Local policemen were also seen stationed on the road outside the premises where the raids took place.
BJP leader Kirit Somaiya had made corruption allegations against Mushrif in connection with the financing of the Sar Senapati Santaji Ghorpade sugar mills and the Appasaheb Nalawade Gadhinglaj Taluka Cooperative Sugar mill as well as the running of the Kolhapur District Central Cooperative Bank, of which the NCP leader is chairman.
This was the third raid of the ED officials on Mushrif’s residence in the last two months. Due to the back-to-back raids of ED officials Saira Mushrif, wife of Hasan Mushrif while speaking to the media said, “Why are they conducting searches at our house again. My husband works for the people, then why is the government doing this.”
An MLA from Kolhapur’s Kagal Assembly constituency, Mushrif served as rural development minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and has been critical of BJP. He is one of the senior leaders of the party from Western Maharashtra and a close confidante and loyalist of NCP chief Sharad Pawar. His constituency Kagal, from where he has been elected five times since 1999, is rich in sugarcane and is one of the richest areas of the state.
The NCP leader and state president Jayant Patil responded to the raids saying that the searches were planned to target the opposition party’s leader.
“The matter is in Bombay HC and the court has given relief to Mushrif. Even after that the ED is conducting raids, which is unethical.”
ED officials said the agency had initiated action after registering a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case based on the complaint filed by the Registrar of Companies, Pune, before a local court.
The action against Mushrif was strongly condemned by his
party workers and followers. A large number of people gathered outside of the Mushrif’s residence in Kagal and raised slogans against central agencies
and against the government. A large police force has been deployed in Kagal in order to control law and order situation in the region.