Probe Into Pinarayi Vijayan's Daughter's Firm, Dealings Widens Amid Protests

The Enforcement Directorate has intensified its probe into the alleged financial dealings between Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) and Exalogic Solutions following the large-scale raids carried out across Kerala on Tuesday (May 26). Exalogic Solutions, a now defunct IT firm, was owned by former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's daughter Veena T.

Officials are now examining the documents and digital records seized during the searches before deciding on the next course of action. Sources said notices are likely to be issued to Veena, and others for questioning in the following days. The probe is also expected to widen to individuals and entities that allegedly received money from CMRL as part of suspected fake accounting transactions.

The searches were conducted at 10 premises across Kottayam, Ernakulam, Kannur and Trivandrum in Kerala, and Bengaluru in Karnataka.

It is alleged that CMRL made an illegal payment of Rs 1.72 crore to Exalogic Solutions during 2018 to 2019, even though the IT firm had not provided any service to the company. In January 2019, the Income Tax Department searched CMRL and found irregularities worth Rs 132.82 crore through inflated expenditure claims.

During the raids on Wednesday, the ED froze nearly Rs 18 crore spread across 242 bank accounts. Among the accounts frozen is a bank account linked to Veena containing around Rs 1.5 lakh.

The development has triggered a sharp political confrontation in Kerala, with the CPI(M) and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) stepping up their defence of Chief Minister and his daughter.

After the CPI(M) alone protested on Wednesday, the LDF has now decided to take the agitation statewide. Protest marches are being organised at district headquarters across Kerala. The CPI state leadership has also instructed its local units to actively participate in the demonstrations organised by the front.

The LDF leadership has alleged that the ED action is politically motivated and aimed at targeting non-BJP leaders through central agencies. Left leaders have described the move against the former Chief Minister's daughter as part of a wider political vendetta.

Meanwhile, police have registered cases against around 300 people in connection with the violence reported outside the ED office in Thiruvananthapuram. Five people have so far been arrested.

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The case was registered based on a complaint filed by an ED Assistant Director. According to a First Information Report (FIR), the accused allegedly formed an unlawful assembly armed with deadly weapons and attacked ED officials and security personnel.

The FIR states that slogans calling for the killing of officials were raised during the violence. It also alleges that the car carrying ED officials was attacked, an officer was injured with sticks, and an attempt was made to attack the driver using bricks. Police and CRPF personnel who intervened were also allegedly assaulted with stones and sticks.