New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday temporarily sealed the premises of Young Indian (YI) in the Congress-owned National Herald office in Delhi to “preserve the evidence” for the ongoing money laundering investigation.
The evidence could not be collected as authorised representatives were not present during the raids on Tuesday, official sources told news agency PTI.
The rest of the National Herald office is open for use, the sources added.
The notice pasted outside the YI office space said it cannot be opened “without prior permission” from the agency. Officials said the ED team had emailed the principal officer/incharge of the office to open the premises for it to carry out raids but the response was awaited.
The ED had on Tuesday raided a dozen locations, including the National Herald office in Herald House at Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg near ITO as part of its money laundering probe in the National Herald-AJL-Young Indian deal.
The ED had earlier questioned Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi in the case.
The National Herald newspaper is published by Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) and its holding company is Young Indian. The National Herald is registered in the name of AJL.
Explained: Why Has the ED Summoned the Gandhis in the ‘National Herald’ Case?
After the YI office was sealed, the road to the All India Congress Committee (AICC)’s headquarters in Delhi was blocked, with the Congress alleging the party was “under siege”. The Delhi police said barricades have been erected to avoid any untoward situation.
The barricades were later removed.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh shared a video showing heavy police presence outside the AICC headquarters here and the road sealed for traffic. “Delhi Police blocking the road to AICC Headquarters has become a norm rather than an exception! Why have they just done so is mysterious…,” Ramesh tweeted.
Delhi Police blocking the road to AICC Headquarters has become a norm rather than an exception! Why have they just done so is mysterious… pic.twitter.com/UrZCNigNHy
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) August 3, 2022
“The Congress is under siege. Delhi police has surrounded our HQs, and homes of INC President and ex-President. This is the worst form of vendetta politics. We will not submit! We will not be silenced! We will continue to raise our voice against injustices and failures of Modi Sarkar!” he said in another tweet.
A senior Delhi police officer said, “We have received inputs from our special branch that some protesters might gather at the Congress Office situated on Akbar Road. So, as a preventive measure, we have put barricades and deputed our personnel to avoid any untoward situation.”
In a tweet in Hindi, the Congress said, “The voice of truth will not be afraid of police guards. Gandhi’s followers will fight and win from this darkness.”
Sealing a part of the office of the National Herald, bringing the Congress headquarters under police guards show both the “fear and frustration of the dictator”, the party said, adding that questions of inflation and unemployment will still be asked.
Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid, while entering the AICC headquarters, told reporters that there is nothing in the case of money laundering investigation as there is “no money involved, so no question of laundering”.
“I have come to my party office, if there is any information here I will get it. Everyday party workers, MPs are being stopped…you (media) are also stopped, you must not stop and keep doing your job,” he told reporters.
“The party headquarters is central to one’s political life and I have come here. We have said very clearly that there is nothing in the case of money laundering investigation as there is no money involved so no question of laundering,” Khurshid said.
Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge also raised the issue in the upper house and alleged that the police have barricaded the residence of the Congress president, former Congres spresident and the party headquarters.
He was not allowed to raise the issue by the chair.
(With PTI inputs)