Raid at Pinarayi Vijayan's house: CPI(M) workers attack ED vehicle, situation remains tense

Youth leaders prevent police from detaining party workers allegedly behind the attack.

Thiruvananthapuram: Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials who carried out raids at the residences of Kerala former Chief Minister and CPM politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday came under attack by party workers in Thiruvananthapuram.

Raids were carried out at 12 locations in connection with the shady financial transactions of Vijayan's daughter Veena T and her Bengaluru-based firm Exalogic Solutions with controversial mining firm Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL).

CPM leadership alleged that the raids were part of the BJP's targeted moves against the opposition parties and accused the Congress of backing the action against CPM leaders as part of a deal with the BJP.

Workers of CPM and its youth and student outfits attacked the vehicles of ED officials while coming out from Vijayan's residence in Thiruvananthapuram after the raids. Wind screens of the cars were broken in the attack using sticks and bricks. A driver suffered minor injuries, while ED officials were learnt to be unhurt.

Tense situations prevailed in the state capital for a couple of hours as party leaders stood in front of a local CPM office to prevent the police from nabbing  those who were suspected to have taken shelter in the office after attacking the ED officials. Later senior police officers, including additional director general of police (law and order) H Venkatesh reached the spot and held deliberations with the party leaders. 

Police later informed that four party workers were held while eight others were still wanted. The police also came under strong criticism for failing in preventing the attack towards the ED officials. 

Simultaneous raids at 12 locations

The ED raids happened a day after the Kerala High Court dismissed a petition of the CMRL seeking quashing of the ED proceedings.

ED officials conducted raids simultaneously at the residence of Vijayan, his son-in-law (Veena's husband) and former minister Mohammed Riyas, CMRL chief promoter Sasidharan Kartha and  CMRL offices. Exalogic Solutions's office in Bengaluru was also reportedly raided.

The ED team took detailed statements of Veena, who has been staying with Vijayan in Thiruvananthapuram. Her bank accounts details were also learnt to be collected by the ED officials.

The raids that started by around 6.30 am lasted till afternoon.

As the news of the ED raids spread, CPM workers in large numbers gathered at all the locations and shouted slogans against the ED. Party senior leaders were also in the forefront of the protest marches at various places.

'Rahul could have been happy now': Vijayan

Vijayan, who is now opposition leader, said that the raids against his house were part of BJP's agenda of targeting leaders of opposition parties using ED. The Congress is also backing the central agency's actions.

"Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who has been asking why the ED was not taking action against me, could have been happy now," he said.

CPM state secretary M V Govindan and other leaders said that the Congress-BJP deal against CPM was clear as the raids happened a day after Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

They also alleged that even as some ministers in the UDF government also accepted funds from the mining firm, they were not facing any probe. 

Veena found to have received Rs 2.7 crore 

Vjayan's daughter's shady financial deals surfaced after the Income Tax interim settlement board found that the mining firm paid Rs. 1.72 crore to the Chief Minister's daughter and her Bengaluru-based IT firm Exalogic Solutions.

A subsequent probe by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office's (SFIO) found that Vijayan's daughter received Rs. 2.70 crore from the mining firm. Based on these the ED also initiated the probe.

Veena was maintaining  that the payments were for services rendered by her firm.