Clashes erupted in Thiruvananthapuram between opposition parties and the Kerala Police on Friday night after the the Enforcement Directorate questioned Higher Education Minister KT Jaleel in connection with a case involving gold smuggling through diplomatic routes, The Indian Express reported.
Members from the opposition parties gathered outside the Secretariat and demanded Jaleel’s resignation. At least 10 activists of the Youth Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party were injured after the police baton charged the protesters, according to The Hindu. Tension continued late into the night as protesters laid siege to the road. Some of the protesters attempted to topple barricades put up outside the Secretariat, while others burned effigies of the minister.
BJP State president K Surendran, who led the party’s demonstration, said the agitation would continue until Jaleel stepped down. “The people of Kerala expect nothing less than Jaleel’s resignation because an incident of this nature has never happened in the state,” Surendran said. “A Cabinet minister has been questioned by the Enforcement Directorate and there is not a single word from the chief minister [Pinarayi Vijayan]’s party.”
The BJP leader added that his party would observe “black day” on Saturday in protest against alleged police excess. “There will be state-wide protests till minister KT Jaleel resigns,” Surendran added. “Police have carried out a cruel lathi-charge on our workers and leaders. We will observe black day tomorrow.”
Congress leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala also stepped up his criticism of Jaleel.“This is the first time a minister has been questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in the state,” he said, according to NDTV. “He must resign on moral grounds.”
The tensions came at a time when multiple central agencies are investigating the smuggling of 30 kg of gold through diplomatic channels. The gold, which was concealed in imported plumbing material, was seized on July 5 by the Customs officials upon inspection of an air cargo consignment addressed to the Consular General of the United Arab Emirates in Thiruvananthapuram district.
Call records of the prime accused in the case, Swapna Suresh, had pointed to her contact with Jaleel and others, incriminating him in the case. But Jaleel denied the allegations against him had said he spoke to Suresh on the direction of the UAE Consulate General in connection with sponsored food kits for families during Ramzan.
He had also referred to consignments involving copies of the Quran from the UAE Consulate, which were transported within Kerala with his knowledge. On August 13, Jaleel had told The Hindu he willing to return the books if any agency pointed out violation of protocol or other international covenants.
During the interrogation on Friday, the Enforcement Directorate reportedly questioned Jaleel regarding his admission about accepting consignments of religious books from the UAE, an act purportedly seen as a violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act. Under the Act, government officials cannot accept any kind of funds from diplomatic routes of foreign countries without the approval of the Ministry of External Affairs.
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