Centre can decide the probe agency in gold smuggling case says Vijayan Sivasankar removed as CM's Secretary

Thiruvananthapuram, July 7 (PTI) As a political storm
exploded in Kerala over allegations raised against his office
in the gold smuggling case, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on
Tuesday said it was up to the Centre to decide which agency
should probe the matter, as the left government removed an IAS
officer from key posts.
With the Congress and BJP stepping up their attack,the
left government removed M Sivasankar, who was the secretary to
the Chief Minister and the IT Principal secretary, after the
opposition targeted him for the appointment of a woman
official of the IT department, alleged to be the 'kingpin' and
who was being investigated by the Crime Branch in another
case.
    She was being investigated by the Crime Branch in
another case and since sacked from her present post.
Vijayan also said the "controversial woman" was not
associated with the Chief Minister's office.
     The woman, who was appointed as a marketing official
in the IT department on contract basis, was sacked two days
ago as media reports emerged thatshe had been recruited when
a crime branch probe was on.
With the woman,a former employee of a foreign country's
consulate in Kerala, on the run, the Customs on Tuesday said
it was planning to issue a lookout notice for her.
Highly placed sources in the Customs said the lookout
notice has to be issued for the woman, who is allegedly
involved in the gold smuggling, to ensure that she would not
flee the country.
     The central agency's move came a day after it
arrested a man, who claimed himself to be a former employee of
a foreign country's consulate in Kerala, in connection with
the seizure of gold worth over Rs 15 crore from a "diplomatic
baggage" at Thiruvananthapuram international airport on
Sunday.
    Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, Ramesh
Chennithala, wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi
seeking a CBI probe into the matter, saying the seized gold
worth "Rs 30 crore illegally brought to our country" from a
consignment was addressed to the "UAE consulate."
The UAE Embassy in Delhi in a tweet said the UAE
authorities have launched an investigation to find out who
sent the cargo containing gold to the address of the UAE
consulate.
"The authorities have stressed that the culprits who not
only committed a major crime but also sought to tarnish the
reputation of the UAE mission in India will not be spared.
We remain committed to cooperating with Indian authorities
in getting to the root of the crime," the embassy stated.
BJP state unit chief K Surendran alleged that the woman
was known to the Chief minister since September 2017 when she
played a major role in organising some five-day programmes in
connection with the visit of a Sharjah sheik.
     As his office came under attack,the chief minister
said as far as the state government is concerned, it has no
problem with any inquiry and it was for the Centre to decide
the probe agency, Vijayan told reporters responding to a query
on the opposition demand for a CBI probe into the matter.
     Dismissing the allegations raised by the Congress
and BJP that a top official in the chief minister's office had
tried to intervene in the case, Vijayan said the state
government will not protect those who are behind such crimes
and pledged full support to the Customs department, which is
probing the case.
     The Opposition has been up in arms against the
ruling left in the state over the recent seizure of over 30 kg
of gold from the International Airport here which was
attempted to be smuggled into the state through diplomatic
baggage.
     In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking
CBI probe, Ramesh Chennithala said a former employee of the
consulate was arrested in connection with the racket and a
woman is allegedly the "kingpin of the racket."
     Onthe opposition allegations that there was an
"influence of the smuggling cartel"at the office of Chief
Minister of Kerala, Vijayan said the smuggling attempt was
foiled by the customs and how is the state government
responsible for it?
"The controversial woman is not associated with the
Chief Minister's Office.
     She was a marketing official appointed through a
placement agency on contract-basis for one of the projects in
the IT department," Vijayan said.
     Just because Sivasankar was removed, it does not
mean that any legal procedure was initiated against him.But
because his name figured in such a controversy, Vijayan said.
     He also rubbished the allegation that his office
tried to interfere in the matter and pointed out that the
Customs officer himself has made it clear that nobody tried to
influence the probe.
     "The customs department comes under the central
government so is the Airport.
     How is the state government responsiblefor all those
happening insidethere?
Vijayan also wondered how all these matters were
directed towards the Chief Minister's Office and said the
package was a diplomatic baggage addressed to the UAE
consulate and not for any state government agency.
     "We will not protect anyone involved in such crimes.
The woman took part in many programmes of the UAE consulate
representing that country.
     How's the state government responsible for such a
person? The Opposition Leader and the BJP Chief are raising
allegations without verifying the facts," Vijayan said.
     Vijayan also clarified thatcurrently the Customs
Department, a central agency, was probing the matter.
Meanwhile, demanding the Chief Minister's resignation,
activists of opposition parties took out protest marches in
various places.
Two yuva morcha activists who tried to gatecrash to
Vijayan's official residence, Cliff House here, were stopped
by police.
     Mir Mohammed Ali, Executive Director of Suchitwa
Mission will hold the full additional charge of the post of
Secretary to Chief Minister with immediate effect, while
Mohammed Y Safirulla has been appointed as the additional
secretary of the IT Department.PTI RRT TGB UD SA BN
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(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)