IT raids: CRPF deployed at chief secretary's residence; across Chennai

A source from the Union Home ministry maintained that the move to deploy CRPF personnel was merely a security measure

In the backdrop of the Income Tax Department's raids at the residence of the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary Ram Mohan Rao, heavy security has been deployed across Chennai. Personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force were posted in four locations across Chennai. CRPF personnel have been posted outside the chief secretary's residence where raids are being conducted since 5.30 am on Wednesday.

Officials opted for the presence of central forces since deploying state police personnel would give access to the chief secretary's office. Crowds started gathering outside the residence of the Tamil Nadu chief secretary as soon as news of Income Tax raids broke out.

However, a source from the Union Home ministry maintained that the move to deploy CRPF personnel was merely a security measure. The CRPF deployment spooked the Tamil Nadu government that went into a huddle immediately. Chief Minister O Panneerselvam called for an urgent meeting of ministers following raids of the chief secretary.

The move was reminiscent of the flutter that army deployment at toll booths in West Bengal had created following which Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had alleged of the possibility of a coup. The army had to issue a statement rubbishing the claims and called the deployment a routine activity that took place with full cooperation and knowledge of the state machinery.

Mamata termed the raids on the TN chief secretary's residence as vindictive. She also questioned why the Bharatiya Janata Party's national president Amit Shah was not being targeted by the IT Department.

OneIndia News