1. Income Tax searches Trigger Political Storm in Karnataka, Kumaraswamy Leads Protest
Searches by Income Tax officials on premises linked to leaders of the Janata Dal (Secular) and their associates across six districts in south Karnataka triggered a political storm on Thursday. The searches, coming just 20 days ahead of the election, were conducted in Bengaluru, Mandya, Mysuru, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga.
The ruling coalition — the JD(S) and the Congress — closed ranks and condemned the BJP government at the Centre for misusing official machinery against the Opposition. Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy later led a protest in front of Income Tax Department offices in Bengaluru.
The action came within hours of Mr. Kumaraswamy predicting a “massive IT search” against JD(S) leaders on Wednesday evening, with I-T sleuths reaching the premises of politically connected businessmen around midnight in Bengaluru.
(Source: The Hindu)
2. ‘Cabbie’s tip Helped me Alert CM on I-T Raids’: JD(S) Woman Leader
A JD(S) women’s wing leader claimed that she had — based on information from a cab driver from Kargalli village in Mandya — alerted CM HD Kumaraswamy on Wednesday night about possible income tax raids on political leaders and associates of PWD minister HD Revanna.
The woman — who covered her face in the video in an attempt to conceal her identity — said the cabbie worked in Bengaluru. In the video, posted to social media immediately after news spread on Thursday about the statewide raids, she said the cabbie’s suspicions were aroused on Tuesday by bookings of a large number of SUVs to Hassan, Mandya and Shivamogga for the next day. The woman, who JD(S) functionaries confirmed was a party leader in Mandya district, did not identify the cabbie or say what had confirmed his hunch that the vehicles had been booked to transport I-T officials.
“The cab driver called me [on Tuesday] and shared details about how many vehicles had been booked, what time they would arrive at the airport, and where they were heading to,” she said.
(Source: The Times of India)
3. Police Open Fire at Suspect
The police opened fire at a habitual offender, who allegedly attacked them in an attempt to escape in Nandini Layout on Thursday morning.
The accused Muniraja, a resident of Laggere, is named in over nine criminal cases and was wanted for allegedly attacking his rivals Kiran and Santosh on Tuesday.
A police team tracked him down to Buddha Nagar. In an attempt to escape arrest, Muniraja attacked the police following which Inspector Lohith B.N. fired a warning shot in the air. He then shot at his left leg to stop him from fleeing.
(Source: The Hindu)
4. Two Kids Drown in Water Sump, Mother Booked
In a tragic incident, two children, siblings aged 4 years and 18 months, drowned in a water sump, while playing in an under-construction residential building at Kodigehalli near KR Puram on Thursday afternoon.The children are Naveen, 4, and his younger sister Basamma, 18 months.
Their mother Kavitha and grandmother Beemavva are workers at the construction site. The KR Puram police have booked a case of negligence against the mother as the sump, was actually covered safely with wooden planks, and yet the children fell into it.
The police said the incident occurred around 12.30 pm when the kids came to play near the sump. At that time, Kavitha had gone to work at a nearby house while Beemavva was in the kitchen preparing lunch.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
5. CM Kumaraswamy’s Son Almost Disqualified
Nikhil Kumaraswamy, the JD(S) candidate from Mandya, could have been disqualified from the fray as his nomination papers were not in order. MA Madankumar, election agent of independent Sumalatha Ambareesh, lodged a complaint, urging the Election Commission to disqualify Nikhil as he allegedly failed to submit Form 26 — which contains details of Nikhil’s properties — with his nomination papers.
Madankumar claims that as soon as he noticed Form 26 was missing, he alerted N Manjushree, deputy commissioner and returning officer.He claims Manjushree asked him to file a written objection. Madankumar said she refused to reject Nikhil’s nomination papers.
Manjushree admitted there was a mistake in Nikhil’s Form 26, but she received a rectified form from Nikhil’s agent at 10am on March 27. “There is a provision to accept rectified affidavits before scrutiny. I have validated the legality of Nikhil’s nomination papers.”
(Source: The Times of India)