Lagatar24 Desk
Chennai, June 14: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) detained Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji on Wednesday in accordance with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), as per official sources, making him the first minister in the M K Stalin-led administration to experience such an action by a central agency.
They claimed that Balaji was detained following a protracted interrogation while the 48-year-old minister was sent to a city government hospital after he complained of feeling uneasy.
He will probably appear in front of a special court later on, where the agency will ask for his custody.
Following the minister’s arrest today, Chief Minister Stalin, who had earlier denounced the ED raids against Balaji as “intimidation politics” on Tuesday, met with his senior party members.
As part of the investigation into money laundering, the ED had begun conducting multiple city searches across the state on Tuesday at locations connected to the DMK’s Karur strongman.
After the Supreme Court permitted a police and ED investigation into the alleged cash-for-jobs scheme against him, the action was taken a few months later.
According to DMK leaders, he had previously been hospitalised after complaining of discomfort. PK Sekar Babu, a state minister, asserted that there were “symptoms” indicating Balaji had been “tortured.”
Balaji was shown on television being uneasy as he was being taken to the city’s Government Medical College, Omandurar Government Estate.
“He is in the ICU. He was in an unconscious state and did not respond when we called him by his name. He is under observation…there is a swelling near his ear. Doctors say there is variation in his ECG (electrocardiogram)… these are symptoms of torture,” Babu told reporters.
Law Minister S. Reghupathy, who visited the hospital, questioned the necessity of the hours-long, nonstop ED raids at Balaji’s home.
Udhayanidhi Stalin, the Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development, was one of the cabinet members that visited the hospital. Central paramilitary soldiers were stationed at the hospital in the meantime. Karur’s security was also stepped up.
As part of the investigation into money laundering, the ED started searching areas linked to Balaji on Tuesday in Chennai, Karur and Erode.
Balaji previously belonged to the AIADMK and served as Minister of Transport in the late Jayalalithaa’s Cabinet.
