From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: On the legal advice, former Congress President Rahul Gandhi is understood not to answer tricky questions on alleged money laundering by the Enforcement Directorate in the third consecutive day of interrogations.
The ED officials are trying to trap him by putting questions in various ways on loans of Rs 1 crore taken by his Young India company set up in 2010 from a Kolkata-based Dotex Merchandice involved in a Hawala case unearthed by the Income Tax Department. Their attempt is to build up a case of the Gandhis pocketing Rs 2,000 crore assets of the National Herald.
The Congress sources said the questions are politically motivated and Rahul has the right not to answer the irrelevant questions cooked up to frame a money laundering case against him, his mother Congress President Sonia Gandhi and other senior Congress leaders. Congress leader KC Venugopal alleged that Delhi Police officials forcibly entered the headquarters and “trampled upon the democracy our forefathers fought and gave their lives for.”
Alike last two days, Rahul was given a lunch break at 3 PM on Wednesday and he was back after 90 minutes for further interrogations even as the Congress workers burnt tyres and clashed with police outside the ED headquarters. The CRPF security escort provided to Rahul were allowed to stay at the interrogation while his sister and AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra went with him up to the ED gate.
The ED sources said the interrogations of Rahul Gandhi have gone well past 20 hours since he is not replying to the pointed questions. They indicated that the ED may move the court for his arrest if he does not cooperate.
Special Police Commissioner (Law and order) Sagar Preet Hooda said: “Nobody from Delhi Police had entered the AICC HQ but the personnel are present in a large number to prevent any violence. We have detained around 800 Congress leaders and supporters since Monday as they did not have permission to protest in view of the prohibitory orders in force.
“As many as 459 were detained on Monday and 217 on Tuesday. To prevent the Congress workers storming at the Safdarjung Police station as it happened on Monday, those detained on Tuesday were sent to different police stations in the capital and set free in the evening.”
Hooda said CrPC 144 is already in force with effect from May 24 in the area, prohibiting holding of any public meeting, processions and demonstrations. The Congress was refused the permission it sought for a “Satyagrah” march on Monday, he added.
The AICC headquarters in Delhi on Wednesday had scenes of repeated clashes between police and Congress workers after the police entered the headquarters and beat up the party workers gathered there. Police denied entering the AICC headquarters even as the Congress released a video of the police officials in action, forcing their way into the party headquarters.
On Wednesday, very few Congress leaders and workers reached the ED headquarters and they were detained by police promptly. The Congress workers rather continued their protest “satyagrah” inside the party headquarters and around and barricaded to main gate after removing the police from the premises.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot was picked up by police just outside the AICC HQ and detained. He asserted that he could see a horde of policemen inside the party headquarters attacking the Congress workers. How can Police prevent his entry in own party office, he asked.
