Three men were arrested in Kerala’s Kasaragod with 139.29 grams of MDMA, triggering a political controversy after the CPM-led opposition alleged that one of the accused had close links with Leader of the Opposition and Congress leader VD Satheesan and had worked as part of his social media team, as reported in NDTV.
The arrested men have been identified as PA Abdul Salam, 27, KH Muhammad Hussain, 28, and PA Abbas, 50, all residents of Arakkappady in Perumbavoor, Ernakulam district.
According to police, the three were allegedly part of a network transporting MDMA from Bengaluru to Ernakulam and were suspected of being involved in its wholesale distribution. They were arrested at Kaalikkadavu near the Kasaragod district border after the district police received confidential information.
A special DANSAF squad was reportedly conducting vehicle inspections when it intercepted the Swift car in which the three men had travelled from Perumbavoor to Kasaragod. The men and the vehicle were subsequently handed over to the Chanthera police.
A search conducted by Chanthera Sub-Inspector Manu P. Cheriyan and his team reportedly recovered the MDMA in four packets. Police said the total quantity recovered from the accused and the dashboard of the vehicle was 139.29 grams.
The three were booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and produced before court before being remanded.
Police have also arrested another alleged link in the drug network. Perumbavoor resident Zainul Abideen, 43, was arrested based on information obtained from the earlier accused. Perumbavoor police handed him over to the Chanthera police, where Inspector M.V. Sheeju recorded his arrest under the NDPS Act. Abideen was subsequently produced before the Hosdurg First Class Magistrate Court-I and remanded.
Police have reportedly received information that Abideen is the brother of a local leader of a prominent ruling party.
Alleged Links With VD Satheesan
The drug arrests have since developed into a political confrontation after photographs, videos and details of the accused’s alleged political associations surfaced, as reported in Mathrubhumi.
The CPM and its youth wing, the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), have alleged that KH Muhammad Hussain had close links with VD Satheesan.
DYFI state secretary VK Sanoj has claimed that Hussain’s social media profile described him as the social media coordinator of Satheesan during the latter’s tenure as Leader of the Opposition. The profile reportedly also identified Hussain as an administrator of a social media group called Leader VD Satheesan.
Several photographs and videos circulating on social media and in news reports purportedly show Hussain with Satheesan at different events. Other photographs reportedly show Satheesan attending Hussain’s housewarming ceremony.
Sanoj has alleged that Satheesan had visited Hussain’s house for a feast when he was Leader of the Opposition. He has also claimed that Satheesan had visited Abdul Salam’s residence.
The DYFI has further alleged that all three arrested men were active Congress workers and that Hussain was a Youth Congress functionary and president of a Youth Congress panchayat booth. It also claimed that Hussain had participated in Congress-led anti-drug campaigns.
The DYFI has demanded that the investigation examine the alleged political links of the accused and that the Chief Minister’s Office also be brought within its ambit.
Sanoj has questioned how Satheesan could have been unaware of Hussain’s alleged activities if the latter had indeed worked closely with him and administered a social media group associated with him.
The CPM has also pointed to photographs and videos purportedly showing another accused inside the Chief Minister’s Office and has questioned whether the arrested men had any connection with attempts to disrupt Operation Toofan.
The opposition has argued that the case should not be treated merely as a narcotics investigation and has demanded that investigators establish whether the alleged drug network had links to political circles.
Other Political Connections Under Scrutiny
The political controversy has also drawn attention to the accused men’s alleged involvement in government anti-drug initiatives.
Hussain was reportedly among the organisers of a programme held in Perumbavoor in connection with Operation Toofan, which was attended by Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala. A Facebook post by Hussain expressing support for Operation Toofan has also been cited amid the political dispute.
DYFI has additionally alleged that Abdul Salam had visited the Kerala Assembly along with minister PK Kunhalikutty.
Several photographs showing Hussain alongside Satheesan at different events have also been circulated, further intensifying the dispute over the nature of their association.
Congress Rejects Allegations
The Congress has rejected the CPM and DYFI allegations and disputed the claim that Hussain was a Youth Congress office-bearer or leader.
Youth Affairs and Sports Minister OJ Janeesh has said that the person shown in the photographs being circulated was not an office-bearer or leader of the Youth Congress, as alleged.
Janeesh has maintained that no Youth Congress worker, member or leader found to have links with drug trafficking would be protected and that such a person would cease to remain part of the organisation.
He also turned the criticism towards the previous Left government, alleging that drug trafficking had grown in Kerala during its tenure because of inadequate and inconsistent government intervention.
According to Janeesh, the Left government was in power for nine of the previous ten years but failed to take sustained action against drug trafficking. He alleged that earlier governments had focused disproportionately on arresting drug users and addicts rather than targeting those involved in transporting and distributing narcotics.
The minister further claimed that Operation Toofan had now led to the arrest of drug carriers, including some teachers, who were allegedly involved in drug distribution.
Janeesh also accused the DYFI of having protected individuals involved in similar cases during the previous Left government’s tenure, a claim made in the context of his defence of the present government.
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