MALAPPURAM : Moments after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan praised the state police force as the best in India during the inauguration of the Kerala Police Association’s state conference in Kottayam on Monday, he was compelled to take stringent action against two top police officers, revealing that not everything is functioning as expected within the force.
The disciplinary action against ADGP M R Ajith Kumar and Pathanamthitta SP S Sujith Das caused significant embarrassment to the state’s police force. The development comes at a time when the force has already been facing humiliation after Nilambur MLA P V Anvar released a recorded telephone conversation between himself and Das, in which the officer is heard making derogatory remarks about his subordinates, including Malappuram SP S Sasidharan.
During the press conference held in Malappuram on Monday, Anvar called for an investigation into the financial dealings of Ajith Kumar, particularly highlighting the construction of a new “luxury” residence near Kowdiar Palace in Thiruvananthapuram.
“Kumar is constructing a residence near Kowdiar Palace in Thiruvananthapuram. The property includes 10 cents registered in Kumar’s name and another 12 cents registered in his brother-in-law’s name. The land in this area is valued at Rs 60 lakh to Rs 75 lakh per cent. It is generally believed that Kumar is not a wealthy man. The details surrounding this construction need to be thoroughly examined,” Anvar said.
The MLA also released an audio clip, purportedly from an anonymous source, believed to be a police officer familiar with Kumar. The voice in the clip, modified to conceal the speaker’s identity, claimed to be a supporter of the Left but accused Kumar of working against the Left government in Kerala. Anvar acknowledged that the authenticity of the clip should be investigated. It could have originated from an opponent of Kumar.
In the audio clip, the anonymous speaker also alleged that Congress leader and MP K C Venugopal was closely associated with Kumar and that Kumar had influenced Saritha Nair, involved in the controversial solar scam, to protect certain politicians.
“K C Venugopal is a close associate of Kumar. In the Saritha case, Kumar used his influence to ensure the acquittal of politicians, including Venugopal. On Venugopal’s instructions, Kumar asked Saritha to alter her previous statements against the politicians. Kumar promised her money in return. As a result, Saritha told CBI officials that she could not recall many details related to the case, leading to the acquittal of several politicians,” the person in the audio clip alleges.
While Saritha admitted that Kumar had attempted to influence her during the investigation, Venugopal challenged the state government to conduct an inquiry based on these new claims.
“The case has been investigated multiple times by both the Kerala Police and the CBI, and it has been brought before the courts. If the government has additional information, they should investigate it,” Venugopal said.
The anonymous source also accused Kumar of leading a gold-smuggling racket and tapping the phone calls of several important figures, including those in the Chief Minister’s Office.
Anvar said he intended to meet Pinarayi in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.
“I will submit a memorandum to the chief minister, requesting the appointment of a special investigation team comprising honest police officers to look into these allegations. A retired judge should oversee the investigation,” he said.
After making these allegations, the MLA visited the Malappuram district collectorate and filed an application for a gun licence, citing security concerns. In his application, Anvar claimed that top police officers might seek revenge against him for his revelations and expressed fear of a possible orchestrated attack.