Violence erupts as ED raids for Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s houses

THe board of directors of Enforcement (ED) on wed raided 10 premises, including the residences of former Kerala chief government minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Kannur and Thiruvananthapuram, in link with its poke into into alleged fraudulent transactions between a Kochi-based minerals manufacturer and a software solutions firm run by Veena T, the former CM’s daughter.The searches by the ED officials began simultaneously around 8 am at multiple locations in cities such as Kozhikode, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. The premises included the rented residence of the CPI(M) leader at Bakery Junction in Thiruvananthapuram, his permanent home in Pinarayi in Kannur, the home of Veena’s husband and former minister PA Mohammed Riyas in Kozhikode and homes of top officials of Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) in Kochi. Veena was with her father in Thiruvananthapuram during the searches.During the raids, top CPI(M) leaders and hundreds of party workers protested outside the homes of Vijayan in Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur, against what they termed as a “political vendetta” being carried out by the BJP-led Union government through central agencies. As the raids concluded around 2.30 pm and the officials began to make their way out of the residence in the state capital, angry CPI(M) workers attacked their cars, smashing windshields and windows. Television visuals showed party activists targeting the vehicles of the ED officials with bricks and stones. The agency’s personnel were left unhurt.Also read: Monsoon yet to arrive in Kerala, heatwave to continue over central, northwest India: IMDFour CPI(M) workers were detained by the Cantonment police for their alleged involvement in the attack on the ED officials’ vehicles, police officers said.An ED official, who did not want to be identified, said, “The search operations were carried out to collect evidence of money laundering under the PMLA. During the search, our officials found proof of investments and bank FD details of the former CM’s daughter. They are being analysed.”Later in the day, the agency in a statement claimed: “During the searches, several incriminating records/accounts, digital evidences, investments, bank FDs were found. ED has freezed about ₹18.36 crore in around 242 accounts identified during the search operations. The evidences recovered are being analysed.”The raids came a day after the Kerala High Court gave the go-ahead to ED to continue its probe into alleged bribery and money laundering acts by officials of CMRL.The case mainly revolves around the monthly payments to the tune of ₹1.72 crore between 2017 and 2019 made by CMRL to Exalogic Solutions Private Limited, the now-defunct IT and software solutions firm run by Veena T. In 2023, the Income Tax Interim Settlement Board had ruled that though Exalogic had signed a contract with CMRL to give software and marketing services, the former did not render any services despite receiving the payments for the same. The payments are alleged to be kickbacks for rendering favours to the minerals manufacturer while Vijayan was CM between 2016 and 2021. ED has further noted that Empower India Capital Investment Private Limited, operated by CMRL MD Sasidharan Kartha, extended loans to Exalogic totalling ₹50 lakh, though the latter has failed to make timely repayments.Responding to the ED raids, Vijayan lashed out at the BJP for using central agencies to target opposition leaders and also took swipes at the Congress leadership, particularly Rahul Gandhi, for encouraging such actions.“The BJP has misused central agencies to target opposition figures while the Congress, the main opposition party in Parliament, has encouraged the former’s trespasses on democracy, federalism and political propriety with silent glee. Rahul Gandhi had publicly wondered why the ED was not taking action against me. I hope today has brought a smile to his face,” Vijayan said.However, home minister and senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said the state police was not aware of the ED’s raids on the former chief minister.“The police were not informed about the raids. And everyone knows that the understanding including in the recent election was between the CPI(M) and the BJP. They have to convince the people, not us,” he said.