Palakkad: In connection with allegations of election-related money being brought in, Congress leaders’ hotel rooms were raided by the police in the middle of the night. The raid occurred at the KPM Regency Hotel in Palakkad, where leaders like V. K. Sreekandan and Jyothi Kumar Chamakkala stayed. Police conducted searches across three floors of the hotel. Congress workers strongly protested the police action, and at one point, there were verbal exchanges and physical altercations between the workers. The police intervened to prevent further clashes. CPI(M) has alleged that UDF candidates Rahul Mankoottil and Shafi Parambil were also at the hotel during the raid.
Bindu Krishna, a Congress leader, alleged that the police entered the rooms without a woman constable, which led to an initial retreat by the police. However, the police later returned with a woman constable and completed the search. Congress leaders accused the police of not entering the rooms of BJP leaders but raiding the rooms of Congress workers. No illegal material was found during the search. During the raid, there was also a verbal exchange between the police and Congress leaders. When the police asked to inspect Room No. 1005, Congress leaders said they could not open a room where women were staying. However, police eventually entered and searched the room of Shanimol Usman.
Later, after finding nothing, a woman constable was blocked by Congress workers. Subsequently, representatives of the Election Commission also searched Shanimol Usman’s room. Tension escalated into a heated verbal exchange between the Election Commission officials and Congress leaders. Eventually, the police documented that nothing had been found. This midnight raid by the police led to political skirmishes and accusations, with heated exchanges between CPI(M), Youth Congress, and BJP workers. The situation in Palakkad escalated into a near-conflict as members of different political parties took to the streets, resulting in a tense, confrontational atmosphere.
