Kerala Police’s investigation into the appointment fraud using Health Minister Veena George’s office as a front acquired a political dimension on October 7.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan suggested in Kannur that the case’s proportions went beyond a simple instance of swindling. He termed it “a political conspiracy” to denigrate the Kerala government and rob its successful Nipah control strategy of its sheen.
“Falsehoods are short-lived. It is not the first attack against the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, nor will it be the last,” Mr. Vijayan said.
The Chief Minister alleged that an agent provocateur with expertise in planting fake news and a few media organisations orchestrated the scandal.
The group had sought to implicate the “main person” in the Health Minister’s office in the fraud falsely. However, the police investigation proved otherwise. Another recriminatory campaign against the government had failed at the outset, Mr. Vijayan said.
Ms. George’s staff, who supposedly took money for facilitating the appointment, was in a different location at the time of the offence, Mr. Vijayan said.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] State secretary M.V. Govindan echoed a similar sentiment. Mr. Govindan said no CPI(M) worker was involved in the appointment fraud. He demanded a police investigation into the political conspiracy angle.
An elaborate hoax promising temporary employment as a homeo medical officer in the Ayush Mission for ₹1.72 lakh has metastasised into a broad investigation following the arrest of the prime suspect and expelled CPI(M) worker Akhil Sajeev.
The police suspect that Mr. Sajeev also orchestrated a comparable appointment fraud, promising employment for cash in the Spices Board. They said the detections so far were the tip of the iceberg.
The police were also investigating a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) functionary and Mr. Sajeev’s acquaintance concerning the suspected Spices Board con.
At least five other persons, including a lawyer, were under police scanner in connection with the case.
Meanwhile, the State police seemed poised to expand their investigation from Pathanamthitta to Ernakulam, Kochi, Kozhikode, Malappuram and Tamil Nadu. They would likely announce a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the case thoroughly.
A police team from Pathanamthitta arrested Mr. Sajeev from Theni district in the neighbouring Tamil Nadu on October 6.
