ED Raids: Political Allegations and Gold Smuggling Links in Karnataka

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches on educational institutions associated with Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara, fueling political outrage. The raids took place at Sri Siddhartha Medical College, Sri Siddhartha Institute of Technology, and Sri Siddhartha Institute of Medical Sciences, located in Tumakuru and Bengaluru. Officials have yet to disclose reasons behind these searches.

Political tensions escalated, with Karnataka's Chief Minister Siddaramaiah denouncing what he termed 'vengeance politics' by the central government, targeting Parameshwara, a prominent Dalit leader. The opposition BJP and JD(S) attempted to link the ED raids to a gold smuggling case involving Kannada actress Ranya Rao, suggesting financial ties to Parameshwara's institutions.

While BJP's R Ashoka called for a stronger probe into the gold smuggling case, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar refuted claims linking Parameshwara to the case. Meanwhile, Congress emphasized the ongoing ED actions as attempts to undermine Dalit leaders and divert attention from corruption investigations related to previous BJP governments.

(With inputs from agencies.)