LUCKNOW: Income Tax Department conducted an early morning raid at the residence of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Umashankar Singh in Lucknow on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Dinesh Pratap Singh, a minister in the Yogi Government and a close relative of the BSP MLA, condemned the raids, stating that the BSP MLA had been dealing with health issues and severe financial crisis.
IT officials arrived at Umashankar Singh's residence around 7 am on Wednesday with a heavy police contingent and cordoned off the premises. Media access was denied.
Sources say the team of around 36 officials, supported by local police, was scrutinising documents related to financial transactions and property. However, the department did not issue an official statement regarding the raid.
The investigation was continuing in the presence of family members and close aides, said the sources.
The BSP MLA Umashankar Singh has not been keeping well for quite sometime now and he is reportedly suffering from cancer, which has raised concern among his supporters regarding the ongoing raid.
Singh is the only BSP MLA elected in 2022, making this Income Tax operation politically significant.
Meanwhile, UP Horticulture Minister Dinesh Pratap Singh condemned the IT department's action. The Minister's daughter is married to the MLA's son.
"Everyone including the politicians and the agencies like IT department are aware of the fact that Umashankar Singh has been battling with the cancer for the last two years. In present circumstances, he is busy buying a few breaths for himself instead of accumulating wealth," said the minister in a post on X.
"The session of state legislature is important for any lawmaker but Umashankar, owing to his medical condition, could not attend the recently concluded assembly session for even a hour. Currently, even a nurse or a doctor is not allowed to visit him at his residence as he is in isolation. If anything adverse happens to Umashankar Singh, these insensitive agencies will be held responsible," posted the minister.
He added in his post that even the judiciary used to show mercy on gravest criminals in such situations but in present difficult times which Umashankar Singh was passing through, who can think of giving pain to a person already suffering so much.
"May God give some good sense and wisdom to such tormentors," wrote the minister in his post.