6,000 saris seized from BJP MLC R Shankar’s home in Haveri

HAVERI: Commercial tax officials, late on Tuesday night, swooped down on the residence of BJP MLC and former minister R Shankar’s home office in Ranebennur, Haveri district, and confiscated a huge cache of items which were reportedly to be distributed as goodies to voters.
The raid comes just days after Lokayukta police conducted a search and seizure operation at the home of Prashanth Madal, son of BJP MLA Madal Virupakshappa. Sleuths found Rs 6.1 crore in cash and Prashanth and others are being questioned.
Tuesday’s haul in Ranebennur included more than 6,000 saris, 9,000 school and college bags and plates and household items worth Rs 20-30 lakh. The operation lasted some seven hours and the seized items were handed over to local police. Tax officials have asked Shankar to supply GST bills for the items, and the MLC has sought three days’ time to furnish them.
Raghunandan Murthy, Haveri deputy commissioner, said if the MLC fails to provide bills, commercial tax officials will file a case after seeking approval of a court. Meanwhile, reacting to the seizure from a member of his own party, chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said it shows government agencies “are independent and free”.
Shankar was elected to Ranebennur assembly seat 2018 on a Pragnyavantha Janatha Party ticket. He pledged support to the Congress-JD(S) coalition government but shifted loyalties to BJP in 2019. He was one of the 17 legislators who were disqualified. While BJP denied him a ticket in the bypolls, he was made an MLC.