Clashes broke out outside former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s residence in Thiruvananthapuram as ED officials conducted a raid.
CPI(M) workers allegedly attacked the Enforcement Directorate’s vehicle, damaging it and confronting the officials.
The incident has led to heavy police deployment in the area, with the ruling CPI(M) strongly criticising the ED action as “political vendetta”.
Violence erupted outside the residence of former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday when Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials arrived to conduct a raid, triggering protests by CPI(M) workers.
According to reports, a large number of CPI(M) activists gathered outside Vijayan’s house in protest against the ED raid. The situation turned violent when some workers allegedly attacked the ED vehicle, smashing its windows and damaging the car. Visuals from the spot showed agitated party workers surrounding the vehicle and raising slogans against the central agency.
The ED team had reached Vijayan’s residence in connection with an ongoing money laundering investigation. The raid comes amid heightened political tensions in Kerala between the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the central government.
Senior CPI(M) leaders strongly condemned the ED action, terming it “political harassment” and an attempt to intimidate the opposition. They claimed the central agencies were being misused to target opposition leaders in Kerala. Pinarayi Vijayan himself described the raid as part of a “larger conspiracy” against the state government.
Following the violence, a large contingent of police and Rapid Action Force personnel was deployed in the area to restore order. Traffic was restricted near the residence, and the situation remains tense.
The Enforcement Directorate is yet to issue an official statement on the raid and the alleged attack on its team. This is the latest in a series of confrontations between central investigating agencies and the Kerala government, which has repeatedly accused the Centre of misusing ED and CBI against opposition-ruled states.
The incident is likely to escalate the already strained Centre-State relations in Kerala. Further updates are awaited as the ED continues its operations.
