Violence outside former Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan's residence after ED raid; vehicles attacked

Severe violence broke out outside former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's rented residence here on Wednesday after ED officials completed a raid and were leaving the premises.

Suspected CPI(M) workers attacked at least three vehicles, including the one carrying ED officials, outside Vijayan's residence, even as the police failed to prevent the violent mob.

According to visuals shown on news channels, suspected CPI(M) workers and activists of the party's allied organisations gathered outside Vijayan's rented house and protested against the raid.

As the ED officials and central security personnel who took part in the raid left his home, the situation escalated with the protesters surrounding and blocking their hired vehicles and throwing stones and bricks at the cars, badly damaging their windshields, other windows and outer rear-view mirrors.

The large number of protesters, shouting slogans against the ED and the Centre, kicked the vehicles, banged their fists and sticks on the windows and windshields and even threw rotten eggs at them.

One of the drivers of the vehicles reportedly suffered an injury.

The ED officials then went to the Thampanoor police station to lodge a complaint against the protestors.

Police and central security personnel struggled to control the crowd as the vehicles, which also had a woman official on board, were targeted during the incident.

Earlier, angry CPI(M) workers allegedly hurled helmets, plastic bottles and stones at security personnel deployed outside Vijayan's rented house while ED searches were underway inside.