Income Tax and GST Raids at Premises of BJP and BJD Leaders before Odisha’s Padampur bypoll

Income Tax and GST Raids at Premises of BJP and BJD Leaders before Odisha’s Padampur bypoll Income Tax and GST authorities conducted back-to-back raids in Odisha' Poll-bound Padampur only one week before the December 5 assembly by-election. Raids conducted on the premises linked to three Biju Janta Dal(BJD) leaders of Odisha's Bargarh District, meanwhile GST officials raided premises of BJP Leaders. The Central Reserve Police Force provided protection so that the raids could be carried out. Local business owners have declared a 12-hour bandh for Tuesday in protest of the GST crackdown on merchants in the towns of Padampur, Paikmal, and Jharabandha. Sunil Agarwal, the president of the BJP's Padampur town unit, is one among those whose offices the GST department raided. According to Pratap Mishra, the head of the Padampur Banika Sangha, the bandh will be observed by neighbourhood traders from 6 am to 6 pm. For the duration of the bandh, all stores and businesses will be closed. However, he added, the bandh does not apply to public or private institutions of higher learning. The by-poll was required due to the passing of Padampur MLA Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha, whose residences were raided by the IT team. The traders' homes were searched. The income tax department did not notify the neighbourhood police station about security, according to police authorities in Padampur. The IT raids on the leaders' businesses were described as cheap scams by BJD leaders.