Telangana minister Malla Reddy accuses Income Tax wing of harassment

HYDERABAD: Telangana minister for Labour Ch Malla Reddy and his son-in-law Marri Rajashekar Reddy on Thursday alleged that Income Tax officials behaved like 'Hunting Dogs' doing 'Gulamgiri' to Delhi bosses.
They also alleged that Income Tax officials misbehaved with the women in the family and no woman officer was deployed, and it was the male officers who took the women in jeeps in the night to the banks to open the lockers.
Malla Reddy also said the IT official had forcibly taken the signature from his elder son Ch Mahendar Reddy in the hospital on the paper that read 'Rs 100 crore black money has been found with us.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Malla Reddy denied that he had shoved income tax official."I-T officials cheated us. They took my son's signature forcibly while he was in a hospital bed. Even though I told them that my young son Bhadra Reddy would sign on the finalisation reports of I-T searches, they took the signature from the hospitalised son. Due to this, I felt terrible and took the IT official from the hospital to my home at Bowenpally. By that time, at Bowenpally house, I-T officials cleared everything. From there, I took him to the police station, and my son lodged a complaint. If I wanted to maltreat the Income Tax official, I would have been detained at my home."
Malla Reddy said,"Around 65 income tax teams from Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru assisted by CRPF personnel searched not only residences and office of my family members but also the principals, clerks and attenders of the college. What sin did we commit? Is it wrong to run educational institutions? One out of every three households in rural Telangana will have one student in either Mall Reddy colleges or MLR colleges of my son-in-law. We worked a lifetime to build these educational institutions."
"My granddaughter was taken to the bank in the vehicle without a woman cop or women officer. She was weeping, and they refused her to speak to her dad. There were two Income Tax searches on my educational institutions previously, one in 1994 and one in 2008. I have yet to see this kind of high-handedness by Income Tax officials. All payments are made online. If some donations come, let them take it, show it, and tax us. Are we some dons or thieves or murderers or criminals to treat us like this."
He added,"Income Tax officials forgot the laptop in my son's room. My attender took it police station and handed over the bag and laptop."
"They have taken it in writing from my elder son, who is admitted as a patient in hospital that Rs 100 crore black money was found. They searched the house of employees and took away R 1 lakh or Rs2 lakh."
Minister Malla Reddy admitted that in anger after he saw harassment meted out to his family, he asked his followers to 'beat and drive away' income tax officials.
"Such cruelty that they didn't allow my wife to speak to my son in the hospital. They kept information of my son got hospitalised a secret. What kind of inhuman behaviour is this," alleged Malla Reddy.
He added "Income tax officials will harass us next three months by issuing notices and ask questions. We are ready to face it. During the last search they took the gold of my wife and daughter and haven't released it yet," He added.
"Chief Minister KCR told us not to be afraid. He told Malla Reddy I am there. We are expecting more searches on ministers and MLAs and other TRS leaders."
Minister Malla Reddy's son-in-law Marri Rajasehkar Reddy of MLR Educational institutions, said,"Legally Income Tax has got right to search and seize, but our basic consititonal rights can't be violated. For the past 48 hours, they tortured my daughter. My father was 77 years old, and he was taken in the middle of the night from college to house."
"We are in the field of education for 35 years and giving doctors and engineers to the society. Under the directions from Delhi bosses Income Tax terrorised us. THey want to make Telangana their subordinate kingdom and hit on self confidence of TRS leaders. I pay Rs 2 crore salaries in each college and Rs 10 crore for five colleges. I was away in Turkey and this is admission time. Hence I didn't deposit them in the bank due to which the cash was found at home," said Marri Rajashekar Reddy.
He refuted the allegations of irregularities in medical admissions. He said "Income Tax officials behaved like Hunting dogs and these are motivated searches"