The Kozhikode District Congress Committee (DCC) has submitted a report to the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) on the alleged role played by bank chairman and KPCC member NK Abdurahiman in an “attempt” by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) to take control of the party-controlled Karassery Service Cooperative Bank near Mukkom.
DCC President K. Praveenkumar told the media here on Tuesday that Mr. Abdurahiman had “cheated” the party. “Our report to KPCC suggested strong action against him. Local party leaders had earlier told us that Mr. Abdurahiman was trying to sell the bank to the CPI(M). Although Mr. Abdurahman denied the allegation in a subsequent interview with us, we found the allegation to be true,” he said. The Karassery Bank has been under the control of a Congress-led board of trustees for more than two decades. Headquartered in Mukkom, it has five branches and two sub-centres in Kozhikode district.
Mr. Praveenkumar’s statement comes a day after the bank was taken over by an administrative committee under the State Government’s Cooperation Department. This follows from the audit report, which drew attention to gross shortfalls in the payment of loans. The cooperation department also claimed that there were complaints about the functioning of the bank, which was found to be true after official checks.
However, local Congress officials claimed that Mr. Abdurahman had created a suitable situation for the CPI(M) to take over the bank. Of the bank’s 13 directors, nine planned to file a no-confidence motion against Mr Abdurahman, accusing him of making unilateral decisions without consulting the board. Meanwhile, over 800 new ‘A’ class members were added between November 29 and 30 after illegally using the login ID and password of Nellikkaparamb branch staff. By November 29, the bank had 770 members. But within a day, the number rose to 1,599.
On the morning of December 1, United Democratic Front activists and bank employees protested against it, claiming that the newly added members were CPI(M) supporters. They also alleged that attempts were made to take control of the bank like what happened with the Chevayur Service Cooperative Bank. By evening, the union issued an order to dissolve the existing board, which had a term of office until 2027, and took over its administration.
The nine directors have now approached the Kerala High Court against the inclusion of new members. The case is expected to be heard on Wednesday. Bank employees have also filed a police complaint about the alleged misuse of their login name and password.
Published – 02 Dec 2025 19:47 IST
