(Image source from: ANI)

As many CPI(M) supporters marched through Kerala to protest the Enforcement Directorate raids at locations tied to former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his daughter related to a supposed bribery case, a group of party members attacked a vehicle with central agency officials inside who were attempting to leave after a lengthy search operation in Thiruvananthapuram. The CPI(M) activists blocked the ED's vehicle and smashed its windshield while shouting slogans against the agency, as the capital saw hours of protests and police intervention since the early morning. Law enforcement and central security struggled to control the chaos. The vehicle, which also contained female officials, faced aggression during the disturbance. The protests started while the ED conducted searches at ten spots across Kerala, including Vijayan’s current house in Thiruvananthapuram, his childhood home in Kannur, and his son-in-law and former minister Mohammed Riyas’s home in Kozhikode.

Vijayan and his family stayed inside their house as the searches launched early in the morning, while hundreds of CPI(M) supporters assembled outside, protesting against the central agency. Amid the turmoil, some people in the crowd reportedly threw plastic bottles, helmets, and stones at the security forces present at the site. Senior CPI(M) leaders later stepped in, calmed the crowd, and convinced them to stop the violent protests. The ED actions relate to accusations that Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) paid 1.72 crore rupees to Exalogic Solutions, owned by Vijayan’s daughter T Veena, between 2018 and 2019 without receiving any services in exchange. The searches occurred a day after the Kerala High Court rejected a request from CMRL to cancel the ED’s investigation in this matter. CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby claimed that the ED raids at the homes of Vijayan and others were politically motivated and called them a serious attack. Speaking to the media in Delhi, Baby asserted that the CPI(M) would show the public that the raids were politically driven. Vijayan has previously rejected the claims against his daughter, arguing that they were intended to damage his reputation and insult him.

The seasoned CPI(M) leader was recently ousted from power after the Congress-led UDF won the Kerala Assembly elections last month. He has since assumed the role of Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly.