CPI(M) cadres stage protests after ED raids at former Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan's residence in Kannur

CPI(M) members gathered in large numbers at Pinaraya in Kannur on Wednesday morning to protest against the ED raids. | Photo credit: special arrangement

CPI(M) workers on Wednesday (May 27, 2026) staged a strong protest march following the Enforcement Directorate’s raid at Leader of the Opposition and former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s house in Pinarayi, Kannur in connection with the money laundering investigation in financial transactions between Cochin Minerals and Exalogic Rutile Limited.

The CPI(M) leadership strongly condemned the search and suggested that the BJP-led union government was using central agencies to target opposition leaders through politically motivated actions. Senior party leaders in Pinarayi said the ED’s action amounted to “revenge politics” and “opposition hunting”, and claimed the party would resist the move politically and legally.

The ED team reached the residence at around 6:00 AM and started the search at 7:00 AM. Initial information indicated that five officials were part of the search team. At the time of the raid, only the caretaker of the house and the local secretary of the CPI(M) were reportedly present in the residence.

CPI(M) members, including former ministers, are protesting against #ED raids outside the residence #PinarayiVijayan on Wednesday in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

📹 @nirmalharindran pic.twitter.com/teGRPu8rJ5

— The Hindu – Kerala (@THKerala) May 27, 2026

When news of the raid spread around 7:00 am, CPI(M) workers gathered near the residence in protest. Police personnel were heavily deployed in the area and shifted party workers from the narrow driveway leading to the house to the main road to prevent escalation of tension.

Senior CPI(M) leaders, including district leaders, were expected to arrive at the venue as the protest intensified. Party officials said an emergency meeting of the state leadership and secretariat would be held at 10 am to decide on further protest programs across Kerala.

The rates are part of an ongoing investigation into the need for financial deal legends involving CMRL and Exalogic Solutions, a case that has sparked political controversy in Kerala.

Published – 27 May 2026 10:43 IST