BENGALURU: In a fresh development, a 54-year-old official of the Social Welfare Department on Monday filed a criminal complaint against two ED officials, accusing them of forcing him to name Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and former tribal welfare minister B Nagendra in the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation scam.
The complaint was filed by B Kallesh, additional director of the department, against Mittal and Muruli Kannan, the ED officials, at Wilson Garden police station. The police have registered a case against the two officials under different Sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to the FIR, Kallesh was questioned on July 16 between 12.45 pm and 7.30 pm at the ED office, II Floor, BMTC Complex, Shanthinagar.
In his complaint, Kallesh stated that the ED officials summoned him to record his statements in connection with the scam on July 16. Accordingly, he went to the ED office and gave his statements to Muruli Kannan, assistant director. He answered 14 of the 17 questions Kannan asked him. He sought time to answer three questions stating that he had to go through some files and talk to his subordinates.
Kannan is said to have told Kallesh to come with the files on July 17 and that he would also call his subordinates for inquiry. After the hearing, Kallesh signed the papers of his statements, but the ED official refused to give him a copy.
Kallesh stated that then Kannan sent him to Mittal’s chamber. Kallesh accused Mittal, an IRS officer, of labelling him as a criminal. He also accused Mittal of threatening him that he would be arrested and would have to suffer without bail for two to three years.
Mittal and Kannan have been accused of forcing the complainant to give in writing that the scam money was deposited in bank accounts on the direction of Siddaramaiah, Nagendra and officials of the Finance Department. They have also been accused of telling Kallesh that ED would help him if he listened to them. Otherwise, he would be sent to jail for seven years.