Three members of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) (students’ wing of Congress) have been detained by Basistha Police on Wednesday for their involvement in extortion-related activities. The NSUI members have been identified as Pranjal Hadi, Dhiraj Nath and Najimuddin Ahmed.
The trio was detained for allegedly threatening the owner of a fuel station – Raj Service Centre – near Basistha Chariali in Guwahati. As per reports, the trio went to the fuel station and forcefully took out money from the cash box after threatening the owner. The owner registered a case against the three NSUI members in Basistha Police Station following which they were detained.
This incident of extortion in the state comes when Lok Sabha elections are knocking at the door. There are several cases of politicians too being involved in extortion activities just before elections. According to the Election Commission (EC), a lot of black money flows during elections. The EC has directed the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to check the money flow during elections.
The Directorate of Income Tax (Investigation) will depute its officers in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura for monitoring the money spending pattern during the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the Northeast.
The Investigative Directorate will monitor movement of large sums of cash or other items suspected to be used for bribing of electors and will also conduct independent inquiries against persons who are involved in such acts. They will also verify affidavits declaring assets and liabilities filed by the candidates before EC and election expenses by any candidate or political party.
The Investigation Directorate will also report to EC about the political parties which are taking donations and enjoying tax exemptions in the poll-bound states without filing the statutory returns. The Directorate has activated Air Intelligence Units at all airports in the Northeast and will monitor movement of cash or valuables.
