Indian Youth Congress members clash with security personnel during a protest against the central government fo... Read More

BENGALURU/NEW DELHI: Thousands of Congress workers and supporters across Karnataka staged protests on Wednesday against the arrest of former minister DK Shivakumar in a money laundering case by Enforcement Directorate ( ED ) even as a special court in Delhi sent him to the central agency's custody till September 13.

The protests turned violent in some places and at least one KSRTC bus and three motorbikes were set ablaze while several other vehicles, including six buses, were damaged in stone-pelting. Large-scale violence was reported from Ramanagara, which falls under Shivakumar's brother DK Suresh's parliamentary constituency. The town observed a bandh with schools and colleges closed and traders downing shutters. Protestors burned effigies of PM Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah .

In Delhi, special CBI judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar sent Shivakumar to ED's custody till September 13 while observing that allegations against him were of "serious" nature."The investigation in my considered view would justify the custodial interrogation of the accused keeping in view the nature of the offence," he said. Pleading for a 14-day custody, ED, which was represented by additional solicitor general KM Nataraj and special prosecutors NK Matta and Nitesh Rana, said during a search at Shivakumar's house it had found "incriminating loose sheets" detailing a cash payment of about Rs 44 crore between 2014 and 2016. Senior advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Dayan Krishnan opposed Shivakumar's custody and sought bail for him, arguing that it was an "extreme case".



In Video: ED gets custody of DK Shivakumar till September 13