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Black masks, dress trigger controversy amid protest against Kerala CM
Protests mounted against Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan after the disclosure of gold smuggling accused Swapna Suresh last week
As protests against Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan mounted after the disclosure of gold smuggling accused Swapna Suresh last week, the overworked cops have allegedly put a blanket ban on anything black.
For the second consecutive day, media persons to common people wearing black masks, shirts or other dresses were allegedly barred from public programmes being attended by the CM.
Though the CM reiterated that there were no restrictions on black masks or dress, overzealous policemen allegedly forced people to remove black at several places.
Despite strict restrictions and tight patrolling, black flags were shown to him at several places in Thrissur and Malappuram districts on Sunday. At some places Youth Congress workers released black balloons to vent their protest.
“How many colours are there? Why do you insist on black these days? It is a deliberate move to embarrass the CM and government. You cannot cow down an elected government like this,” said Left Democratic Front (LDF) convener, E P Jayarajan. Education Minister V Sivankutty went a step further. “After showing black flags there is a ploy to harm the CM. We have reports that some forces are hell-bent to create trouble in the state,” he said.
But the opposition Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party said the scared CM was resorting to knee-jerk reactions. “The CM sees black everywhere these days. Black is pervading his mind and heart otherwise no leader will resort to such dirty tricks. Why is he so scared of black? Showing black flag is a democratic form of protest,” said opposition leader V D Satheesan. “Guilty feeling is writ large on his face that is why he is becoming so intolerant to a colour these days,” said BJP state chief, K Surendran.
But in Malappuram the CM slammed the Congress for resorting to “dirty politics”. “The Sangh Parivar is trying to silence political opponents using central agencies. Latest in the series was ED (Enforcement Directorate) notice against Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. It seems Congress men in Kerala are not aware of this. They joined hands with the BJP,” he said.
Security cover for the CM has been upgraded after protests triggered by the disclosure of Swapna Suresh. Over 700 policemen were deployed along the route of the CM in north Kerala districts. A senior police officer, who did not want to be named, said a strong contingent of 50 cops and commandos travel with him in dozen-odd vehicles. Commuters were hit badly as many roads were sealed and traffic diverted along the route of CM in the last two days. In Thrissur a road around the guest house, where the CM stayed, was closed for more than 12 hours.
The sensational gold smuggling case took a new turn on Tuesday after Swapna Suresh told newsmen that she narrated the alleged role of CM, his family members, two senior IAS officers, former minister KT Jaleel and others in gold and dollar smuggling involved around the UAE consulate in the state capital. She worked at the consulate as the secretary of the attaché for more than two years.
The gold smuggling case surfaced on July 5, 2020 after the customs department seized 30 kg gold hid in bathroom fittings in one of the consignments, camouflaged as diplomatic baggage, came in the name of the UAE consulate in the state capital. A former employee of the consulate, P S Sarith, who came to receive consignment was arrested the same day and after a week, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Swapna Suresh and her accomplice Sandeep Nair from Bengaluru.
The case witnessed many twists and turns in the last two years and most of the accused (total 32) including CM’s former principal secretary M Sivasankar are on bail. Swapna Suresh was released from jail in November last year after 16- month in jail.
Meanwhile, Swapna Suresh said she will move the high court on Monday to quash the fresh case. After her disclosure, police registered a new case against her under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 153 (provocation with an intent to cause riot). Her pre-arrest plea was rejected by the high court last week after the government said she was framed under bailable provisions and it has no intention to arrest her now. Later she also released an audio clip which purportedly contained talks between Suresh and Shaj Kiran, who the former alleged was an emissary of the CM to mediate and limit further damage.
