Supporters of arrested Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar staged protests in his native village of Alahalli and torched tyres and pelted stones at KSRTC buses in Kanakapura. The protesters claimed that the arrest of the Karnataka strongman is politically motivated. They also threw stones at the BJP office in Kanakapura.
There were protests in Ramanagara district as well as in Hassan and parts of Southern Karnataka.
Former chief minister and JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy took to Twitter to condemn the arrest. “The ruling government is using investigation agencies to oppress those opposition leaders who they think are a threat to their interests,” he tweeted.
People staging a protest after the arrest of Karnataka Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar | Special arrangement
Karnataka Congress, in a tweet, claimed that the arrest is part of the attempt by the Centre to divert the attention from the economic crisis that the country is facing. Terming the action against the party leader as "political vendetta", the party said it will fight against the arrest of Shivakumar legally as well as "in the people's court".
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Immediately after his arrest, a tweet from Shivakumar's Twitter handle said: "I congratulate my BJP friends for finally being successful in their mission of arresting me. The IT and ED cases against me are politically-motivated and I am a victim of BJP's politics of vengeance and vendetta."
The residence of Shivakumar at the posh Sadashiva Nagar wore a deserted look after the arrest. A few of his relatives visited the house and met with the children of Shivakumar.
Supporters of the Congress leader requested the media crew stationed in front of his residence to respect the privacy of the family members and leave.
Meanwhile, the Congress in Karnataka is planning several protests across the state on Wednesday against the 'vendetta politics' of the Centre.
People staging a protest after the arrest of Karnataka Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar | Special arrangement
The sitting MLA from Kanakapura and a former cabinet minister, Shivakumar appeared before the agency for the fourth time for questioning on Tuesday. He was placed under arrest under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
(With PTI inputs)
