Bengaluru, September 9, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials continued searches at Karnataka Public Works Department Minister Satish Jarkiholi’s government-allotted residence in Bengaluru for around nine hours on Wednesday in connection with an investigation into alleged financial irregularities and overseas investments.
As the searches continued, supporters of Jarkiholi gathered outside his residence and staged a protest. They carried posters supporting the minister and raised slogans against the ED. The posters included messages such as “ED puppet in the hands of the Central government”, “Let politics of hatred stop, democratic values sustain” and “We won’t bow down to ED pressure tactics”.
The ED search at the minister’s government residence began around 7 a.m. According to ED sources, searches were being conducted at 18 locations as part of the operation. Local police were deployed to manage the crowd, while Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were present at the premises where the searches were being conducted.
Sources said ED officials questioned Jarkiholi and recorded his statement at his residence. The search at his Dollar’s Colony residence was later completed, following which officials reportedly took away documents and other materials.
Officials also thoroughly searched vehicles parked inside the minister’s premises. A carpenter was reportedly called to the residence by the ED team and remained inside for more than an hour during the searches.
The ED team also arranged lunch at the premises as the operation continued. Officials are understood to have gathered information from people close to Jarkiholi regarding his financial dealings and alleged overseas investments. Printers, documents and other materials were also examined and reportedly taken into custody.
Searches were also conducted at properties linked to Jarkiholi’s family members, including those of his daughter and Congress MP Priyanka Jarkiholi and his son Rahul Jarkiholi.
Sources said Priyanka Jarkiholi was present at her residence in Belagavi when the searches were underway.
The overseas investment angle is also under scrutiny. Sources pointed to a visit by a Rwandan delegation to Jarkiholi’s properties in Belagavi two years ago.
Rwanda High Commissioner Jacqueline Mukangira led a delegation to Belagavi on September 9, 2024. The delegation reportedly visited Jarkiholi’s two sugar factories, a private hotel and other properties before proceeding to the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha.
The High Commissioner had reportedly invited Jarkiholi to explore investment opportunities in Rwanda. Following the visit, Jarkiholi is said to have travelled to Rwanda on two or three occasions and spoken publicly about investment opportunities there.
The ED searches on Wednesday, exactly two years after the Rwandan delegation’s visit, have triggered discussion in political circles, although no official connection between the two developments has been established.
Congress leaders criticised the searches and questioned the ED’s action.
KPCC president B.K. Hariprasad alleged that the Centre was targeting leaders belonging to Scheduled Tribe and tribal communities.
“Why is the Centre spewing venom on ST, tribal and Adivasi leaders? If this is the case, we will not budge,” Hariprasad said.
Karnataka Health Minister U.T. Khader said he was unaware of the exact reason for the searches but questioned why Congress leaders were repeatedly being targeted.
“We do not know why the raids have taken place. But one thing is clear — why only Congress leaders? People will decide and understand the context. We are confident that Minister Satish Jarkiholi will not indulge in any such acts,” Khader said.
Minister for Scheduled Tribe Welfare Raghu Murthy defended Jarkiholi, describing him as an industrialist and social activist. He alleged that Opposition leaders were being targeted for political reasons and claimed that such actions were aimed at weakening their political influence.
Karnataka Urban Development Minister Yatindra Siddaramaiah, son of former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, also questioned the ED searches.
“ED is conducting raids on our Minister Satish Jarkiholi, and we have come to know about it. But making allegations against someone without any evidence, purely out of political vendetta, is not right. So, this also appears to be politically motivated. However, if more information comes out, I will react to it,” he said.
The searches were continuing at multiple locations, with officials examining documents, electronic equipment and financial records as part of the ongoing investigation.
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