HRDS India terminates Kerala gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh after CM's charge

PALAKKAD: HRDS India, an NGO, which was in the news for employing gold smuggling-accused Swapna Suresh, has terminated her services. The decision by HRDS India comes after the allegation by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the assembly that the NGO was protecting Swapna Suresh by footing all her expenses. "CM's allegation was considered as a  complaint and HRDS  India has decided to seek her resignation," said HRDS secretary Aji Krishnan.

HRDS India has also come in for criticism after Swapna Suresh used its premises to launch a tirade against the Chief Minister and the LDF Government. She had also used the HRDS letterhead to write to the Prime Minister demanding an investigation into her allegations against the CM and his office by the central agencies.

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Aji Krishnan said that ever since HRDS India employed Swapna Suresh four months ago, it had been hounded by the police, revenue, and other investigation agencies like never before. False cases were being foisted against the organisation and all the employees were being subjected to interrogation.

He said that since the Government decided to reinstate principal secretary M Sivasankar, another accused in the gold smuggling case, in government service, HRDS India thought that there would be nothing wrong in providing employment to Swapna Suresh. After sacking Swapna Suresh, Krishnan said HRDS is hoping that the government will follow its example and terminate the services of Sivasankar, the key accused in the gold smuggling case.

HRDS employed Swapna Suresh as its director of the Women Empowerment (corporate social responsibility) programme on February 18, 2022. Last week Swapna Suresh also shifted her stay from Palakkad to Ernakulam.

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