THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Four CPI(M) workers were arrested on Wednesday night for allegedly attacking a vehicle carrying Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials during protests outside the residence of former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Thiruvananthapuram.According to police, 12 people had been identified for their alleged involvement in the attack on ED officials, while search operations were continuing and more arrests were likely.The protests erupted after the ED carried out searches at 10 locations across Kerala in connection with the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) case, according to news agency ANI.The searches were conducted at multiple locations, including Vijayan’s rented residence in Thiruvananthapuram, his house in Kannur and offices linked to the case. Raids were also carried out at the residence of CMRL Managing Director Sasidharan Kartha and at the Kozhikode residence of former minister Mohammed Riyas. Reacting to the ED action, Vijayan alleged that the raids were part of a “targeted attack” against opposition leaders in the country. Meanwhile, Arvind Kejriwal criticised the Centre over the ED searches. In a post on X, Kejriwal said the raid against Vijayan was “yet another blatant misuse of central agencies by the BJP to target regional opposition parties and undermine democracy.” He further claimed that the timing of the ED action, after Congress had raised concerns over “inaction”, raised questions about the BJP-Congress relationship. The ED action follows a Kerala High Court order allowing the agency to continue its investigation in the case. The court had earlier dismissed petitions seeking to stop the probe and rejected requests for more time to approach a higher court. During the hearing, the ED argued that proceedings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) could continue even without a prior FIR. The agency also informed the court that the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) had already filed a complaint in April 2025. The ED probe began after findings by the SFIO allegedly showed that payments worth lakhs of rupees were made to a company owned by Veena Vijayan for services that were allegedly not provided. After receiving summons and facing searches, company officials approached the court, alleging harassment during questioning and claiming there was no evidence to justify an ED investigation. The transactions had earlier come under scrutiny following observations by the Interim Board for Settlement of the Income Tax Department, which questioned whether they could be treated as legitimate business expenses. Following those findings, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs ordered an SFIO investigation in January 2024. The ED later issued summons to CMRL officials in April 2024, after which the company challenged the agency’s action in court.
