Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly V D Satheesan has termed the investigation ordered by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan into the severe allegations raised by CPI-M-backed Independent MLA P V Anvar against the Chief Minister’s political secretary P Sasi and Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Law and Order, M R Ajith Kumar as a sham.

Speaking to media persons in Kochi on Tuesday, Satheesan questioned the rationale behind the probe against the officials while allowing them to remain in their respective positions. He demanded that the investigation be handed over to the CBI.

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The senior Congress leader said that the Chief Minister had ordered a probe while permitting those facing serious allegations, including murder and gold smuggling, to continue in their posts. The CM is afraid of this racket within his office allegedly involved in such illegal acts, Satheesan added.

Stating that the Chief Minister has been under the clutches of a “manipulators’ gang “in his office”, Satheesan said Pinarayi Vijayan is scared to touch the officer and his staff.

“I want to ask what kind of a sham the Chief Minister is playing. Murder, gold smuggling, and massive corruption, Anvar has raised all kinds of severe allegations against the ADGP in charge of law and order and the Chief Minister’s political secretary. Though the DGP (state police chief) has been ordered to probe the allegations, those in the investigation team are all junior officers. Have you ever heard of such a probe? If there is an allegation against an SP, can a sub-inspector probe it,” Satheesan said.

Referring to the leaked phone call between Anvar and SP Sujith Das, Satheesan said, “In the audio, the SP is heard badmouthing three others of his rank. He also claims that the brothers-in-law of the ADGP, who is in charge of law and order, were accepting bribes. The police force in Kerala has never stooped so low.”

Speaking on Anvar’s allegation that Ajith Kumar was also involved in gold smuggling, Satheesan raked up the diplomatic baggage gold smuggling that rocked the first Pinarayi government and led to the arrest of the Chief Minister’s then private secretary, Sivasankar “Why is the Chief Minister and his office so fascinated by gold?” Satheesan quipped.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Shobha Surendran has alleged that the Chief Minister is nurturing ADGP Ajith Kumar, just as he previously promoted M Sivasankar. She alleged that Ajith Kumar is part of a five-member smuggling gang, with the Chief Minister being the head of that group.

On Sunday, MLA P V Anvar levelled serious allegations against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s political secretary, P Sasi, and Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Law and Order, M R Ajith Kumar. He claimed that they had betrayed the trust placed in them by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government.

Addressing a press conference in Malappuram on Sunday, PV Anvar said that the political secretary to the Chief Minister, P Sasi, who is in charge of the police, is not doing his duties properly. Anvar accused a group led by ADGP Ajith Kumar of attempting to undermine the party and its government by ignoring reasonable directions from the Chief Minister.

Anvar also alleged that Pathanamthitta SP Sujith Das has connections within Customs that are used to smuggle gold through Kozhikode airport. “When gold arrives from Dubai, Sujith Das gets information through insiders. Das has strong connections in Customs, where he previously worked. Customs officers detect gold during scanning but pretend they didn’t notice it. They then pass the information to the police as the smugglers exit. The police then follow and catch them, seizing 50 to 60 per cent of the gold. This is their modus operandi. Sujith Das is controlled by M R Ajith Kumar,” Anvar alleged.