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Central forces were called to protect IT officials as they apprehended attacks

Last Updated 04 August 2017, 14:14 IST
Income-Tax officials called in central forces to accompany them to conduct raids in Karnataka because of previous instances where they had been subjected to "intimidation and attacks," top officials said.

"We have had instances where the IT raid parties have been subjected to physical attacks and intimidation to abandon their operation and even cases filed against them by some local people," an official said.

Deployment of Central forces to provide security to Income Tax officials during search operations in Karnataka was not the first instance. It had been done in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu too last year when raids were conducted on "powerful people" close to ruling dispensation, he said.

Normally, the IT authorities took the help of local police. But if the situation "warranted," they were authorised to requisition Central forces who would not be involved in any raid as such. But they will provide security for the search team.

"Public servants, who work for the government of India, can seek security from the central forces for the discharge of their public duty," another official said.
“Whenever any officer conducts searches and he or she thinks that the local police are not available in sufficient number or should not be involved, they can always request for Central forces,” said the official.

Just as Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah has protested now against the deployment of central forces in aid of the income tax officials probing the assets of State minister D K Shivakumar, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee too had objected to the use of CRPF during raids on her party leaders last year.

There were protests from the AIADMK leaders too when a team of I-T officials searched the residences of former Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary P. Rama Mohan Rao and those close to the ruling party in Chennai last December.

As in the case of Karnataka, the Centre wanted to ensure "utmost secrecy" for the IT operations in in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal where the state governments were in the dark till the raids happened.

"Secrecy has to be maintained when the case is of sensitive nature for gathering solid evidence," the official said.

Last year, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee even wrote to Home Minister Rajnath Singh calling the decision to deploy CRPF personnel for providing “security” to Income Tax officials for operations in West Bengal as “blatantly unconstitutional, illegal and against all principles of conservative federalism.”
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(Published 04 August 2017, 14:13 IST)

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