Kerala: CPM terms midnight raids at hotel in Palakkad a normal ‘routine’

Palakkad: Hours after the controversy over the police raid at a Palakkad hotel where Congress leaders including women where present, senior LDF leaders dismissed the inspection as routine and questioned the Congress party for protesting against the raids conducted.

“With new revelations about the BJP in the Kodakara hawala case, it’s only natural for police to conduct such raids during by-polls. Normally, all parties cooperate with these checks. We don’t understand why Congress is raising such a hue and cry,” TP Ramakrishnan said in Kalpatta.

Objections were raised when police attempted to enter a women congress leader’s room without female officers present. Congress supporters soon gathered outside the hotel to protest the police action. According to police, the raid was a routine search, and nothing was found in the rooms. A total of 12 rooms, occupied by leaders from various political parties, were inspected. The police added that hotel and lodge inspections will continue throughout the area to prevent any election malpractice ahead of the November 20 by-election.

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“It was a regular routine and there was nothing unusual about it. Police during elections do conduct such raids and these are common and questioning the raids does not make any logic”, Suresh Babu, a senior CPI(M) leader in Palakkad.

CPM and BJP leaders also arrived at the scene, with LDF representatives demanding a comprehensive review of all rooms and hotel CCTV footage. The Election Commission of India postponed the Palakkad Assembly bypoll from November 13 to November 20, citing the Kalpathi Ratholsavam festival. The by-election became necessary after sitting MLA and Congress leader Shafi Parambil was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Vadakara constituency earlier this year.

“We demand the cops to release the CCTV footages of all the rooms of the hotels”, said a BJP leader in Palakkad.

Palakkad LDF candidate P Sarin, who recently quit the Congress, said that the police got the information about the black money from the Congress. “The police got the information from the Congress. It was not a targetted search,” Sarin said.