Tamil Nadu minister for electricity, excise and prohibition Senthil Balaji was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a government hospital in the wee hours of Wednesday after he was questioned by Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials in connection with a money laundering case. High drama was witnessed outside the government hospital where Balaji was brought for medical examination. The minister was seen grimacing in pain while lying in a car as his supporters gathered there to protest against the ED action.
While there were speculations that the minister had been taken into custody by the economic intelligence agency, there was no official confirmation and DMK advocates who visited the hospital also said there was no clarity on this.
"I saw him (Senthil Balaji) when he was shifted to ICU. Doctors are evaluating his health condition. It is a procedure when a person says he has been assaulted the doctor needs to note down all the injuries and will know after seeing the report. Officially we have not been informed (by ED) that he has been arrested," DMK MP and lawyer NR Elango said.
State Minister P K Sekar Babu claimed there were 'symptoms' Balaji has been 'tortured.'
DMK minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said, "Senthil Balaji is undergoing treatment."
"We will deal with it legally. We are not afraid of the threatening politics of the BJP-led central government," he added.
{{/usCountry}}"We will deal with it legally. We are not afraid of the threatening politics of the BJP-led central government," he added.
{{/usCountry}}Balaji was brought to the Omandurar government hospital for medical examination after the central investigative agency took him into custody for questioning in the money laundering case. DMK leaders alleged that Balaji didn't seem conscious when he was taken to the hospital by ED.
A team of Rapid Action Force (RAF) was deployed at the hospital as his supporters gathered there to protest the ED's action.
The ED officials on Tuesday raided the minister’s official residence in Chennai and his office in the state secretariat besides the premises in his native Karur and Erode. The case against Balaji pertains to allegations when he was the transport minister during the AIADMK-led government from 2011 to 2015 before he switched to the DMK.