The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau raided the house of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation councillor Ajin S L on Sunday after registering a case over an alleged demand for Rs 10 lakh from a landowner in connection with a land dispute in Thrikannapuram ward.
The action follows allegations by Sanju, a contractor from Peyad, who claimed that the councillor demanded money after he purchased an 11-cent plot along Thrikannapuram MLA Road in April and began construction. Sanju alleged that Ajin offered to facilitate the registration of adjoining puramboke land, or government-owned land, in exchange for the payment.
According to the complaint, the alleged demand was accompanied by threats to mobilise Democratic Youth Federation of India workers to protest at the property and place a party flag there if the money was not paid. Sanju also alleged that the councillor accused him of encroaching on government land and used that allegation to pressure him.
The complainant reportedly divided the land into plots for resale and said the alleged threats began during the early phase of construction. He denied encroaching on government property. Sanju also said he visited the councillor’s house and recorded visuals after the alleged threats continued.
The case came under wider scrutiny after visuals purportedly showing Ajin demanding money and an audio recording of a threatening phone conversation surfaced. The person heard in the audio was identified by the complainant as the councillor. The allegations have also placed pressure on the CPM, of which Ajin is a local committee member in Thirumala.
Ajin has denied the allegations and described the complaint as retaliation for his action against what he claimed was an encroachment. He also alleged that construction at the site had started without the required permission. According to his account, the corporation issued a stop memo after he complained about the construction.
The competing versions place a municipal regulatory dispute at the centre of the case. The complainant’s account links the alleged bribe demand to the proposed handling of adjoining government land, while the councillor says his intervention was connected to alleged encroachment and construction without permission. The raid and the registration of the case mark the formal entry of the vigilance agency into that dispute.
The reported action also brings into focus the role of elected municipal representatives in complaints involving land use, construction permissions and alleged encroachment. The available report does not establish whether the land was government property, whether construction permissions were obtained, or whether the allegations against the councillor have been proved.
The VACB investigation will determine the evidentiary basis of the bribery allegations and examine the material cited by the complainant, including the purported visuals and audio recording. Ajin’s denial and his claim that the complaint was retaliatory remain part of the case as the agency proceeds.
