The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
NIA, BJP hand-in-glove, says TMC; asks EC to change head of agency
Police forcibly remove MPS staging dharna outside Election Commission HQS
THE TRINAMOOL Congress on Monday accused the NIA of “colluding with the BJP to target its workers” and asked the Election Commission to change the head of the central agency to ensure a level playing field for all parties.
A delegation of TMC MPS met the poll panel in the evening and handed over the memorandum. After that, they sat on a dharna outside the Election Commission headquarters, from where they were removed by the delhi police. An EC spokesperson declined to comment on the protest.
The TMC memorandum alleged that the BJP was misusing the NIA to target its political opponents. The party alleged that a BJP member, Jitendra Tiwari, met NIA SP Dhan Ram Singh at his residence on March 26. Along with its complaint, the TMC submitted a copy of the visitor’s register of Singh's residence where there's an entry of Tiwari's visit. The TMC said Tiwari was seen entering the flat with a packet in his hand and when he left an hour later, he was empty-handed.
“There is a reason to believe that the packet contained a list of names of tm c’ s booth level workers and local leaders who were meant to be targeted and/or arrested by the NIA under written instructions from the BJP. It is furtherbelieved that the packet contained monetary consideration for NIA’S Singh,” the TMC alleged.
The party said the NIA issued notices to various TMC members the next day. They told the NIA they were engaged in political commitment sand would goto its office after the elections, to which the NIA re-issued notices asking them to visit office on March 30.
“In the interregnum, anticipating coercive measures by NIA, TMC members filed a criminal revisional application challenging the agency's notices and investigations. The same is pending adjudication before the
HC… To circumvent any protection that may have been granted by the HC, the NIA illegally raided multiple residences of TMC’Srkers... During these raids, they broke down the doors and manhandled and outraged the modesty of women of such households. Thereafter, they arrested TMC workers,” the TMC alleged.
The complaint also alleged that the NIA had made “false claims” that the women whose homes were razed had attacked the NIA team.