Vigilance raids at HRDS offices in Kerala

The Vigilance wing of the Kerala police on Friday raided the offices of the High Range Rural Development Society (HRDS), an NGO with RSS links, on a complaint of misappropriation of government funds.

A special Vigilance team from Thiruvananthapuram was conducting simultaneous raids at the offices of HRDS at Palakkad, Kannur and Thodupuzha. The organisation was recently in the news after it had employed the key accused in the gold smuggling case, Swapna Suresh.

"There was a complaint that about misappropriation of government funds allotted to the organisation. The organisation was receiving several central government funds," a senior vigilance official told PTI.

Also Read — Kerala PFI leader dissolves outfit, arrested

The officer said the raids were going on and the records were being examined. "Further action will be taken considering the details gathered in the raids," the official said.

Earlier, in July, the police had arrested the secretary of the NGO on a complaint filed by a local tribal member that the organisation had allegedly encroached on forest land and threatened tribals here.

HRDS India was in the news recently for employing Swapna Suresh but later terminated her services. Suresh was terminated from her job recently by the NGO claiming that the Kerala government was "crucifying" the organisation for providing her employment.

In a statement issued to the media, the outfit had said even though Suresh has been terminated from her current post as Director of Women Empowerment and CSR, she would be retained as the Chairperson of its Women Empowerment Advisory Committee, which is a position without any salary.

The NGO also had said it has decided to annul the appointment of Suresh after considering the allegation by the Chief Minister in the state Assembly that the NGO was protecting the gold smuggling case accused.

On 28 June, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a reply to an adjournment motion in the Assembly, had said Suresh was supported by an organisation affiliated with RSS.