Kerala: A tense situation unfolded outside the residence of former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday after Enforcement Directorate officials conducting searches in connection with the alleged CMRL payments case faced protests while leaving the premises.
According to reports, supporters believed to be associated with the CPI(M) gathered outside Vijayan’s rented residence in Thiruvananthapuram soon after news of the raids spread. The protest later escalated into violence, with demonstrators allegedly surrounding the vehicle carrying ED officials and attacking it with stones and other objects.
Television visuals showed damage to the windshield of the vehicle as security personnel attempted to move the officials out of the area. The vehicle reportedly also carried women officers during the incident.
Police teams and central security forces stationed outside the residence struggled to disperse the crowd as protesters raised slogans against the central agency’s action. During the unrest, plastic bottles, helmets and stones were reportedly thrown at officials deployed for security.
The searches were conducted by the Enforcement Directorate at multiple locations linked to Vijayan and his family as part of an investigation into the alleged CMRL monthly payment case involving his daughter, T Veena.
Investigators are probing allegations that Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd transferred around ₹1.72 crore to Veena’s company, Exalogic Solutions, between 2018 and 2019 without any corresponding services being provided.
Officials said simultaneous searches were carried out at nearly ten locations across Kerala under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Security was tightened outside Vijayan’s residence in Thiruvananthapuram as well as the family home in Kannur district during the operation.
The ED action came shortly after the Kerala High Court dismissed a petition filed by CMRL seeking to halt the money laundering investigation.
No official statement had been released by the former chief minister or the CPI(M) regarding the violence at the time of reporting. Authorities are expected to review footage from the scene and examine the attack on the enforcement officials’ vehicle.
