Kerala: Police raids in Palakkad spark political war ahead of bypoll

Amidst heated campaigning for the upcoming Assembly by-election in the Palakkad constituency, a midnight police raid at a hotel here on suspicion of the arrival of black money triggered an intense political row on Wednesday. Around midnight, the police conducted searches, including in the hotel rooms where prominent women politicians from the Congress, such as Bindu Krishna and Shanimol Usman, were staying. The incident occurred as the Congress-UDF is working hard to retain its sitting constituency, while the ruling CPI (M)-led LDF and the BJP-NDA are making every effort to wrest the seat from the grand old party.

The Congress leadership, vehemently protesting the police action, alleged that it was a "midnight police drama" jointly orchestrated by the BJP and the CPI (M) due to their fear of a potential poll debacle.

However, the Marxist party and the BJP rejected the allegations and accused the Congress of "distributing" large amounts of black money to secure a victory in the crucial by-election.

Later in the day, a senior police officer told media that the raids were carried out on the basis of prior information.

The dramatic scenes unfolded when a police team attempted to enter the room of Bindu Krishna and Shanimol Usman as part of a search around midnight.

Usman objected to the search due to the absence of female officers.

Congress supporters, upon learning about the raid, gathered in large numbers on the hotel premises, protesting against the police action.

Tension prevailed in the area as local leaders and workers of the CPI (M) and BJP also arrived at the hotel, accusing the Congress leaders of holding black money.

Left leaders demanded a review of all rooms and CCTV footage from the hotel.

As the issue sparked a major political row, the police later clarified that 12 rooms in the hotel were searched, including those of leaders from all political parties.

"It was a routine search, and nothing was found in the rooms," a police officer told reporters soon after the raids.

The police added that searches are being conducted in hotels and lodges in the constituency to prevent malpractice during the November 20 by-election.

Krishna and Usman told reporters on Wednesday morning that the police targeted both of them.

Krishna alleged that although there were several rooms in the hotel the police personnel first knocked on Usman's room on the ground floor and then came straight to her room on the third floor.

"There was a deliberate conspiracy behind this midnight search," they said, adding that it is both a women's issue and a political matter.

Congress leaders and Lok Sabha MPs V K Sreekandan and Shafi Parambil also reiterated that the search specifically targeted their party leaders.

KPCC president K Sudhakaran strongly criticised the police action and charged the CPI (M) and BJP with "conspiring" jointly against the Congress party.

"This midnight police drama was orchestrated by the BJP and CPI (M) out of fear of a poll debacle," he alleged.

Such an "ugly incident" has never occurred in Kerala's election history, he said, questioning on what grounds the police entered the rooms of the women leaders without a female officer.

The Congress would challenge the "midnight search drama" both legally and politically, Sudhakaran said, adding that none of these attempts would prevent the UDF candidate from winning in the by-election here.

However, senior CPI (M) leaders P K Sreemathi and LSGD Minister M B Rajesh described the police search as a "routine process" and questioned why the Congress was making such a hue and cry over it.

"No political party was exempted from the search. The police entered the rooms of leaders from all parties, not just one. The search was routine.

Why is such a fuss being made over it?" asked Rajesh, who is a CPI(M) leader, while speaking to reporters.

Sreemathi said it was understandable that the search was conducted following information received by the Election Commission that the UDF leadership was keeping black money in the hotel, allegedly intended for use in the by-election.

She added that female police personnel arrived at the hotel later, after learning that women leaders were present.

BJP state chief K Surendran alleged that it was a fact that the Congress and former Palakkad MLA Shafi Parambil were using black money in the constituency for the upcoming by-election.

He accused the police of not conducting the search properly.

Though the police could have reached the hotel in five minutes, they arrived half an hour late after the news broke, he claimed.

Surendran also accused the police of not searching all the rooms in the hotel, thereby giving an opportunity to move the black money to a safer place. Meanwhile, the KPCC announced widespread protests across the state at district headquarters under the respective DCCs against the midnight search of the women leaders' rooms.

The Election Commission postponed the Palakkad Assembly bypoll from November 13 to November 20, citing the Kalpathi Ratholsavam festival.

The bypoll for the seat was necessitated by the election of sitting MLA and Congress leader Shafi Parambil to the Lok Sabha from the Vadakara constituency in the parliamentary polls held earlier this year.