Political witch-hunt, says Kavitha
BRS MLC made to sit alone in room for hours; ED fails to share evidence about her involvement in excise policy case
Hyderabad: The close to half-a-day-long questioning of the BRS MLC K Kavitha by the officials of the Enforcement Directorate in New Delhi on Monday saw the legislator repeatedly asserting that she was innocent and that she was being political targeted at the behest of the ruling party at the Centre, according to sources.
Sources disclosed that Kavitha sought to know from the ED officials on how they could conclude that she was involved in the Delhi Excise policy case, but the officials did not prefer to tell her why she was being questioned.
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Interestingly, the ED officials had conceded that she was not called in for questioning as an ‘accused person’. That confirmation came to pointed query from the BRS MLC whether she was being queried as a witness or as an accused person. Sources also disclosed that the tone and tenor of ED officers questions did not belie the political nature.
Following an appeal from Kavitha, the central agency officials had to arrange for audio and video recording of the entire questioning process. Despite her repeated requests, officials were said to have failed to share any evidence about her involvement in the case.
The BRS sources said she was made to sit alone in a room as part of harassment apparently due to political pressures. Further, their questions were also said to be on the lines to explore her political relations.
Throughout the 11-hour questioning on Monday, the ED officials reportedly posed 14 questions to Kavitha who answered them all.
Though some officials had earlier leaked information to a section of media that the BRS legislator will be confronted with several other accused persons in the case, it is now confirmed that she was kept alone in a room for many hours and had no confrontation with any of the accused in the case.
The officials are learnt to have arrived nearly one hour after she reached the ED office to record her statement.
Kavitha reportedly asked the ED officials whether they found incriminating evidence on the phone seized from her and sought to know who leaked to the media that she destroyed her phone.
She asked why the Central agency was in a hurry to question her, despite a case filed by her being scheduled for hearing in the Supreme court on March 24.
During the questioning, Kavitha is learnt to have mentioned to the officials that she was aware of the political motives behind summoning her for questioning.
She wondered why the ED cases against Himanth Biswa Sarma, Y Sujana Chowdhary and Narayan Rane were shelved after they joined the BJP.
