THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An audio clip, allegedly of gold smuggling indicted Swapna Suresh, saying that detectives from the Law Enforcement Directorate were forcing her to give a statement against Prime Minister Pinarayi Vijayan sparked a dispute in the state on Thursday . The clip appeared on an online news portal Wednesday.
DGP (Prisons and Correctional Services) Rishiraj Singh, for his part, said that a request had been forwarded to the chief of state police for an investigation to find the person who recorded the clip, as received by the online media that leaked the clip. news and the date, time and place of recording.
The BJP and the opposition said it was a political conspiracy to divert attention from corruption charges against the government, while the CPM alleged that central agencies were being misused to attack the prime minister. While the CPM secretary of state called recent reports about central investigative agencies attempting to attack the prime minister as “extremely serious”, CPM Secretary General Sitaram Yechury wanted the judiciary to intervene in the matter.
The Union Minister of State V Muraleedharan alleged that the clip was placed by the prime minister’s office and that it was a conspiracy before the local body’s polls to derail the investigation reaching Vijayan’s office. KPCC President Mullappally Ramachandran also said an independent investigation was needed to find the truth.
Audio clip: Swapna admits that the voice is hers
Earlier in the day, on instructions from Singh, DIG (prisons) Ajayakumar visited Attakkulangara Women’s Prison, where Swapna is now located, to investigate whether the audio was recorded in the prison. Swapna allegedly confirmed that the clip had her voice, but said she had no idea who recorded it as she had spoken to multiple people. Ajayakumar later said that the voice clip was not recorded in jail.
In the voice clip, Swapna is heard saying that ED detectives have offered to make her an approver if she gives a statement against the prime minister in the gold smuggling case. She also says that the Emergency Department had not allowed her to review her statements properly before signing them.
.
