BY. FIROZ.T.TOTANAWALA
THE BANGALORE METRO REPORTER
THE POLITICAL ROBBERY
INSIGHT INTO THE ZAMEER AHMED ROBBERY CASE
Zameer Ahmed, the Chamarajpet MLA has been named an accused by the Kengeri police in a dacoit case. Given the political powers involved, it was though not unexpected. Ever since JDS MLA from Channapatna, M.C Ashwath was made to defect to BJP during the second confidence vote and crores of money he was given for his political prostitution, everybody knew that once a part of the money was robbed, Zameer would be the target.
This incident goes a long way to prove the level to which politicians stoop to take revenge on their adversaries. The so called robbery of 2.5 Crores (which police has put it at 50 lakhs) belonging to JDS MLA from Channapatna, M.C Ashwath, shows the rotten level of politics.
It all began when the Chief Minister B.S Yeddyurappa, fighting with his back to wall for survival in power, undertook another Operation Kamala on the eve of the second vote of confidence, to reduce the strength of the opposition. He procured the JDS MLA from Channapatna M.C Ashwath and Congress MLA Narayanaswamy and made them to abstain from voting. He also made another attempt to get Congress MLA Malakaiah Guttedar to follow the suit.
Everybody knows that the price of a MLA sky rocketed to almost 50 crores after the last minute switching of loyalty by independent MLA Varthur Prakash from JDS to BJP.
Then it was the rebellion of 20 MLA’s against Yedurappa that shook Yedurappa’s chair. The JDS Boss H.D Kumaraswamy provided protection to these rebels at the Goa resort and it was Zameer Ahmed who played a decisive role there. He brought all the MLA’s back to Bangalore amidst the over bearing presence of Reddy Brothers, other senior Ministers and leaders. Yedurappa could manage to snatch away only three MLAs and later Varthur Prakash who led the rebels from the front became a turncoat. The rest is history. Yedurappa and his confidents were seething with anger at the ‘operation’ of Zameer Ahmed.
Ashwath here had vanished into thin air holing up at a secured place. The people of Channapatna were upset over his defection and created an atmosphere so much so that he would not have dreamt of setting foot in the town, at least for some time. However, the reward for his defection was so high that it had to be transported to him at various places in splits.
Zameer Ahmed has a wide network of contacts and came to know that a part of the money was to be transferred from Channapatna. Zameer in his zeal to expose the role of the ‘big money’ in Yedurappa’s political manipulation, planned to seize the money under transportation along with media to expose the dirty tricks of Yedurappa. But his play was grounded when his confidents led by Diwan Ali, a BBMP Corporator tried to play smart and pocketed the money themselves. Ashwath was heart broken at the incident lodged a complaint with the Kengeri Police through Ziaulla. Of course, the entire Government machinery was at his back and call.
When Zameer learnt about the double crossing and the police complaint, he immediately swung into action and forced the gang to return the money to Ziaulla Khan and through him to Ashwath. Due to the double crossing, Zameer’s plan of creating a media sensation became an utter flop.
The police complaint was sufficient for Yedurappa to settle scores with Zameer for all the loss he inflicted at the Goa resort political drama. Though the complainant after getting back the money tried to withdraw the complaint, the police did not allow him to. It is said that the complainant had given an affidavit to this effect.
Few days back, Diwan Ali the BBMP Corporator who was given the task of seizing the money and the vehicle and wait till the media men arrived, was murdered in broad day light. Only after his murder, things began to act swiftly. The police were very fast in filing the charge sheet within three months. And they named Zameer as accused number thirteen!
The naming of Zameer did not stir a political storm as it was long expected given the political nature and the powers behind it. Except BJP leader Dhananjaya Kumar who is working 24x7 to defend Yedurappa and his political games, nobody else demanded the resignation of Zameer. If this yardstick is applied, the first to resign as MLA shall be former Ministers Katta Subramanya Naidu and Krishnaiah Shetty.
Forget all this. The police have shown the amount of loot at 50 lakhs! People in known of things know well that the amount was 2.50 crores. Then why did the police reduce the amount? Is it an effort to match the amount to suit Ashwath’s accounts? Interestingly, the police have given a story of Ashwath’s transporting money was for the purchase of rice. Had the police investigated the so called rice business of Ashwath and Ziaulla, the cat would have come out.
More than anything, the source of this huge money, even if it is 50 lakhs, has not been gone into detail by the police. How does Ziaulla possess such huge money and how can Ashwath send hard cash to him? In case the money really belonged to Ashwath, he should have accounts to back the claim. The police should have probed into all these factors.
It is another matter that the Income Tax authorities will definitely take a look at the source of money as 50 lakhs cash which was allegedly ‘robbed’ is not a small amount. Ashwath and Ziaulla have much to explain to the authorities. It will take some time for the income tax authorities to take action.
It is also possible that Zameer whose name was not mentioned in the FIR was “fixed” by the police only as an after thought and that too at the eleventh hour. For ordinary people this is nothing but a false case to tarnish his image. It should be noted that Zameer is a very rich man and spends lakhs every month towards many social activities and functions. He has donated lakhs of rupees to many temples, holds mass marriages spending millions. Amount of Rs. 50 lakhs is peanuts to him and nobody in his senses would even imagine his involvement in a dacoity.
It is said that Zameer had explained the entire episode to the police including the ‘payment’ made to Ashwath and the subsequent cover up of the incidence. But the remote powers controlling the police have not allowed the natural justice done to him.
The money earned through political prostitution does no good either to the payer or the recipient. Nobody would have sympathized with Ashwath even if every penny of it was looted either by dacoits or people. And to ‘fix’ a political opponent to settle scores with him, is not decent politics. One should not wonder if the police files additional charge sheet against HD Kumaraswamy also, because Zameer is his right hand man and a trusted friend.
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