Kolhapur (Maharashtra): Hundreds of Former Maharashtra Minister Hasan Mushrif’s supporters Saturday gathered outside as Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials raided the NCP leader’s home in Kagal, Kolhapur.
Hasan Mushrif was reportedly not inside his home. Reports from Kolhapur said only his wife and some close kin were inside Hasan Mushrif’s home at the time of ED raid.
Reports further said that Hasan Mushrif was out of the city and was scheduled to return to Kagal in Kolhapur today morning. But he didn’t.
The angry supporters of the former minister were shouting slogans against the BJP and its government. They were also shouting slogans “ED go back”.
After third time @dir_ed raid at former minister and NCP MLA Hasan Mushrif residence at Kagal in Kolhapur district, his supporters gather at his residence & protest against ED & BJP for deliberately harassing Mushrif. @NewIndianXpress pic.twitter.com/Oi0xwjGLHN— Sudhir Suryawanshi (@ss_suryawanshi) March 11, 2023
After third time @dir_ed raid at former minister and NCP MLA Hasan Mushrif residence at Kagal in Kolhapur district, his supporters gather at his residence & protest against ED & BJP for deliberately harassing Mushrif. @NewIndianXpress pic.twitter.com/Oi0xwjGLHN
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided the home and other premises of senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Hasan Mushrif in connection with alleged irregularities in the purchase of a cooperative sugar mill for the second time in two months.
Mushrif was earlier raided on January 11 by the ED at Kolhapur and Pune, besides his relatives and aides.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ex-MP Kirit Somaiya had levelled allegations against Mushrif, accusing him of Rs 100 crore irregularities in a cooperative sugar mill, and involvement in a money-laundering scam of Rs 127 crore.
Somaiya has also claimed that Mushrif had allegedly grabbed control of the Appasaheb Nalawade Gadhinglaj Cooperative Sugar Mill Ltd, there were huge payoffs and money-laundering of massive amounts through murky transactions which benefited him, his family or associates.
The ED team swooped on Mushrif's home in a pre-dawn operation amid tight security and carried out searches inside his home in Kagal.
Mushrif however has steadfastly denied all allegations and said that the agency's raids are a political move by the ruling BJP at the centre and had even raised questions whether people of a 'particular community' are being systematically hounded.
Meanwhile, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders like state Congress President Nana Patole, Chief Spokesperson Atul Londhe, Shiv Sena (UBT) National Spokesperson Kishore Tiwari and others slammed the BJP for pursuing fear politics, vendetta and misusing the central probe agencies to hound political opponents.
Mushrif, a 5-term MLA from Kagal, is a close confidante of NCP President Sharad Pawar, and served as a minister for several years in the Democratic Front and MVA governments.
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