Midnight raid in Palakkad Congress leaders’ rooms triggers protests

Police raided a hotel in Kerala where Congress leaders were staying, claiming to be searching for black money. The search turned up nothing, sparking protests. Congress leaders, including Shanimol Usman and Bindu Krishna, were targeted in the raid. Usman protested the search due to the lack of a female officer present, and police eventually brought in women officers. Allegations were made by LDF and BJP leaders that the black money was intended for use in an upcoming byelection. However, the UDF candidate, Rahul Mamkootathil, denied these claims, stating he was in a different city at the time. Congress leaders accused the CPI(M) and BJP of orchestrating the raid with police assistance. Leaders from all parties, including CPI(M) and BJP, gathered at the hotel, with some pushing for further investigations.