ED Concludes Two-Day Raids at Kingston Engineering College Owned by DMK MP Kathir Anand
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Chennai, Jan 5 (NationPress) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has concluded its raids at Kingston Engineering College, owned by DMK MP Kathir Anand, situated in Tamil Nadu's Vellore, after a span of two days.
Anand, who has served as a two-term MP from the Vellore Lok Sabha constituency, is the progeny of DMK General Secretary and Tamil Nadu Water Resources Minister S. Duraimurugan, the second-in-command in the Tamil Nadu cabinet led by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.
The extensive raids, which lasted for 44 hours, involved more than 15 ED officials arriving in eight vehicles. Searches took place across several locations, including the college, the residences of Anand and Duraimurugan, and properties linked to their associates in Katpadi and Vellore.
Sources indicated that the ED confiscated unaccounted cash, documents pertinent to the college’s financial dealings, and a hard disk.
College officials, wishing to remain anonymous, asserted that the confiscated funds were intended for staff salaries and Pongal festival bonuses, comprising collections from student fees.
These searches are thought to be associated with a 2019 Income Tax case against Kathir Anand, which involves allegations of cash-for-votes during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
At that time, election authorities confiscated Rs 11 crore from Anand’s associates, resulting in the cancellation of the election in the Vellore constituency.
The then President Ram Nath Kovind, upon a recommendation from the Election Commission, annulled the Lok Sabha election in Vellore due to the seizure of unaccounted funds from Anand’s associates.
The election, originally set for April 18, 2019, was cancelled on April 16, just two days prior.
It was later rescheduled for August 5, 2019, where Kathir Anand, representing the DMK, narrowly triumphed over A.C. Shanmugham of the AIADMK by a margin of 8,141 votes.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Anand achieved a more convincing victory, defeating Shanmugham, who had switched to the BJP, by an impressive margin of 2,15,702 votes.
The DMK has characterized the ED’s actions as a political vendetta.
This incident is not the first involving ED raids against DMK leaders.
In a previous case, searches were conducted at the residence of Tamil Nadu Forest Minister K. Ponmudy and his son, Gautham Sigamani, as part of a money laundering investigation.
On the first day of the raids, Duraimurugan and Arakkonam MP S. Jagathrakshakan departed from Chennai to New Delhi by air.
Political analysts suggest that the ongoing ED raids are amplifying in intensity ahead of the forthcoming elections, raising concerns about the targeted approach towards opposition leaders.
