ED team attacked outside Pinarayi Vijayan's residence in Kerala following raids in money-laundering case
PTC News Desk: Violence erupted outside former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's residence after Enforcement Directorate officials were leaving the premises following the raids.
A group of CPI(M) workers attacked the vehicle carrying probe agency sleuths and damaged its windshield while raising slogans against the central agency.
The protests erupted amid ED raids at 10 locations across Kerala, including Vijayan’s current residence in Thiruvananthapuram, his native home in Kannur, and the Kozhikode residence of his son-in-law and former minister Mohammed Riyas.
Meanwhile Vijayan and his family remained inside the residence as ED conducted raids and hundreds of CPI(M) supporters gathered outside, staging protests against the central agency.
During the protest, some demonstrators allegedly threw plastic bottles, helmets, and stones at security personnel deployed at the site. Senior leaders of Communist Party of India (Marxist) later stepped in, calmed the workers, and convinced them to end the violent protest.
What is the CMRL pay-off case?
The money laundering case centres on allegations that Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) made payments to Exalogic Solutions, an IT company owned by Veena Vijayan, without receiving any actual services in return.
Investigating agencies, including the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), claim that Exalogic received around Rs 2.7 crore from CMRL over several years under consultancy and IT service agreements. Authorities are investigating whether these payments were actually illegal benefits or linked to political favouritism.
The ED’s action specifically relates to allegations that CMRL paid Rs 1.72 crore to Exalogic Solutions between 2018 and 2019 without receiving any services in return. The searches were conducted a day after the Kerala High Court dismissed CMRL’s plea seeking to quash the ED proceedings.
M A Baby alleged that the ED raids at the residences of Pinarayi Vijayan and others were politically motivated and described them as a “heinous attack.” Speaking to reporters in Delhi, he said the party would prove that the raids were driven by political motives.
Pinarayi Vijayan has repeatedly rejected the allegations against his daughter, saying they are an attempt to damage his reputation and politically defame him.
- With inputs from agencies
