Kerala: Police seize hard disk containing CCTV footage after raid at Palakkad hotel over black money suspicion
By Deepu Mohan | First Published Nov 6, 2024, 6:17 PM ISTPolice raid KPM Hotel in Palakkad amid black money allegations, sparking controversy and clashes between Congress leaders and police. No significant findings reported, but political fallout continues with accusations and counter-accusations between Congress, CPM, and BJP.
Palakkad: Police have seized a hard disk containing CCTV footage from the KPM Hotel, where a raid was conducted late last night in connection with allegations of black money transactions during the recent by-election. The police will now examine all footage starting from the time they received the initial information that led to the raid. The investigation is being led by the South Circle Inspector, supported by cyber experts and special branch officers.
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The raid has triggered a major political and public controversy, particularly over the police’s search of rooms occupied by women Congress leaders. The operation, which lasted for over three and a half hours past midnight, led to heated confrontations between Congress leaders and activists on one side, and police officers on the other. The situation escalated when Congress accused the police of barging into the rooms of women leaders without proper cause, while the CPM and BJP demanded that searches be conducted in all rooms of the hotel.
The clash grew as police struggled to control activists protesting both inside and outside the hotel. Prominent Congress leaders, including Shafi Parambil and V.K. Sreekandan, demanded a formal written report from the police detailing their findings. The police later provided a statement confirming that nothing significant had been found during the raid. However, both the CPM and BJP accused Congress of trying to obstruct the search and hinder the investigation.
Congress leaders Shanimol Usman and Bindu Krishna spoke to the media, describing the police's behavior as disrespectful. They claimed that officers, some of whom were not in uniform, knocked on their hotel room doors in the middle of the night, which left them shaken and distressed. The Congress party has alleged that Minister M.B. Rajesh was behind orchestrating the midnight raid. Opposition leader V.D. Satheesan further accused Rajesh and his brother-in-law of orchestrating the raid to humiliate Congress women leaders, calling for Rajesh’s resignation and said a probe should be held at the Cliff House instead.
In response, Minister M.B. Rajesh defended the raid, stating that Congress's attempt to obstruct the police search was suspicious and raised doubts. He argued that the facts of the case had yet to be revealed and accused Congress of creating a "drama" to divert attention from a hidden agenda, claiming that the Congress party and the BJP were both receiving funds from the same sources. He further stated that there was nothing irregular about the police search.
Meanwhile, BJP chief K. Surendran also weighed in, accusing the police of supporting the UDF by allegedly allowing illicit money to be hidden in one of the rooms. He alleged that Shafi Parambil was extensively using black money, further fueling the already heated exchange between the political parties involved.
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