Accuses the Central Agency of pressurising a State Government official to falsely implicate CM, Dy.CM and MLA Nagendra

Bengaluru: The Congress Party Legislators, including the Ministers, led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, staged a protest in front of Mahatma Gandhi statue in Vidhana Soudha premises here this morning, accusing the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of pressuring a Government official to falsely implicate the Chief Minister in the alleged irregularities reported in the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Limited.

The protesters, holding placards, raised slogans against the Centre and accused the ED of becoming a puppet in the hands of the Union Government.

They also demanded for the recognition of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah accusing them of using the Central Agencies against the Opposition parties.

Meanwhile, in a significant development, two ED officials have been accused of coercing a State Government officer to falsely implicate Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Finance Department.

The case was registered yesterday based on a complaint by B. Kallesh, the Additional Director of the Social Welfare Department, at the Wilson Garden Police Station.

Kallesh, in his complaint, has alleged that during a questioning session on July 16, ED official Murali Kannan asked him 17 questions and pressured him to name former Minister B. Nagendra, the Chief Minister and the Finance Department as being involved in the scam.

He also claimed that another ED officer, identified by the surname Mittal, threatened to frame him in the case unless he complied. The charges against the ED officials include joint criminal liability with a common intention, criminal intimidation and intent to provoke a breach of peace.

Kallesh maintained that he was not involved in the crime but was summoned and threatened to provide a written statement implicating the Chief Minister, the former Minister and Finance Department officials.