PALAKKAD: The highly-charged Kerala’s political scene reached a flash point after the police conducted an early-morning raid at a private hotel in Palakkad, where Congress leaders were staying for an election campaign. 

While the police claim that the raid was conducted following the tip-off of black money transactions at the hotel for the UDF/Congress candidate Rahul Mamkoottathil, the Congress leaders said the raid was a pre-planned attempt to implicate them as being involved in black money dealings and score brownie points ahead of the elections, on November 20.

As police searched the premises, leaders and workers from both the CPM and BJP, along with Congress members, gathered in large numbers at the scene, escalating tensions into a chaotic confrontation. After nearly three hours, the search, which concluded around 3:30 am, revealed no illegal funds. Police confirmed this through a statement. During the operation, clashes repeatedly erupted between Congress workers and the police.