Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has directed the state police chief to constitute an SIT to probe the violence reported during the election to the Chevayur Service Cooperative Bank in Kozhikode in 2024.

The Special Investigation Team will probe allegations of police lapses in preventing the violence, according to a statement issued on Monday.

The minister has directed that a detailed inquiry be conducted and a report submitted within three weeks, the statement said.

The election, held on November 16, 2024, was marred by several incidents of violence.

According to the statement, complaints received by the home minister alleged that although the Medical College police had been entrusted with security arrangements following a Kerala High Court directive, they had failed to prevent the violence.

The complaints alleged serious lapses on the part of the then assistant commissioner of police (Medical College) and other officials.

The statement said Congress leaders, including Kozhikode MP M K Raghavan and District Congress Committee president K Praveen Kumar, had alleged in their complaint that over 5,000 fake identity cards were used by CPI(M) workers to manipulate the election.

Following the complaints, the minister directed that a Special Investigation Team inquire into the allegations and submit its findings within the stipulated time, the statement added.

Voting in the Chevayur Service Cooperative Bank election at a polling station in Kozhikode city witnessed violence, with members of the Congress and its rebel faction clashing, bringing the polling process to a halt for a few hours.

Police reportedly had to resort to a lathi charge to disperse the two groups.

Congress leaders have alleged unprecedented violence during the election, accusing the CPI(M) of orchestrating the entire operation.

According to the leaders, the police supported the CPI(M)'s actions, and several Congress workers were injured in attacks allegedly carried out by workers of the then-ruling party.