Left Democratic Front (LDF) independent legislator from Malappuram, P V Anwar, on Sunday (September 1, 2024) accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s political secretary, P Sasi, and Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order, M R Ajith Kumar, of betraying the faith vested in them by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government.
At a press conference in Malappuram, Mr. Anwar alleged that Mr. Sasi appeared deliberately oblivious to Mr. Kumar’s “wrongdoings” despite several complaints from elected representatives and from within the force.
Sting operation claims
Mr. Anwar claimed he was heading a sting operation, including secretly recorded telephone conversations with officers, to expose the conspiracy against the government.
He accused Mr. Kumar of using an entrenched network of loyalists in crucial law and order positions to enrich himself and his relatives.
He said he would submit evidence of the criminality at the apex of law enforcement to Mr Vijayan. Mr Anwar claimed that his life was under threat and likened Mr. Kumar to Dawood Ibrahim, a mob boss.
Father figure
The LDF legislator attempted to link the ranking officer to Dubai-based gold smuggling rackets and accused him of hoarding ill-gotten wealth.
However, Mr. Anwar said he would risk death to protect the Chief Minister. “The CM is a father figure to me. It’s my filial duty to protect him from those who seek to do the government harm and alienate the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] from the people. Mr Vijayan has entrusted law enforcement to officers and party-appointed political advisors who have failed him and exploited his trust to run their criminal enterprises”, he said.
CPI(M) workers hounded
Mr. Anwar said the police, under Mr. Kumar’s watch, had slapped non-bailable offences against 18 CPI(M) workers who prevented a set of politically motivated YouTubers from disrupting Mr. Vijayan’s Navkerala Sadas public outreach programme at Arikode in Malappuram in November last.
Life Mission derailed
Mr. Anwar said the police had derailed the Life Mission housing project for the poor in Malappuram by cracking down on the excavation of laterite to make bricks. He alleged the police seemed hell-bent on turning public opinion against the LDF government.
Mr Anwar accused Mr Kumar of dismissing a corruption complaint he filed against Leader of the Opposition, V D Sateeshan, without taking the petitioner’s statement. He said he raised the charge in the Assembly. He said the opposition had no case against Mr Kumar because the officer was “their ally”.
Custodial death
He also trained his guns on former District Police Chief, Malappuram, Sujith Das. Mr Anwar released a voice recording in which a voice he claimed was that of the officer pleading with the MLA to withdraw his petition for an investigation into the custodial death of Jiffri, a suspected drug peddler, in Tanur police station in the Malappuram district in May 2024.
DANSAF accusations
The District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force (DANSAF) had arrested Jiffri on drug peddling charges. Forensic doctors counted 21 injuries on his body, though the police initially claimed that the detainee had died due to a drug overdose. The police arrested several DANSAF team members in connection with the crime. They remanded them for up to 90 days in judicial custody. Mr Anwar said Mr Das feared whether the probe would lead to his doorstep.
Gold smuggling
Mr Anwar also accused the police of lording over a gold smuggling network benefitting major jewellery shop chains in North Kerala. He said the Customs would not arrest carriers in the airport. Instead, they would flag DANSAF teams, who would waylay the carriers on the road and far away from the prying surveillance cameras inside airports.
“If the police confiscate 5 kg of contraband gold, they would only report two kg and keep the rest for themselves. He added that they would give a share to Customs informants and also sent a part of the proceeds to higher-ups in the department”.
CPI(M) probe
Mr Anwar said he would pursue the accusations to their logical conclusion. “The officers would end up in jail. I have evidence. I am sworn to protect the party and government. I have to answer to my constituencies. I have merely aired the concerns of the public, which want to insulate the LDF government from criminal elements. Let the CPI(M) also investigate my accusations”, he added.
