Kochi: M. Sivasankar, Kerala's senior IAS official and former secretary to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is being questioned on Thursday along with Swapna Suresh, prime accused in the Kerala gold smuggling case, by the NIA officials at their office.
This is the fourth time when Sivasankar is being questioned by the NIA, but the first time that it's being done in the company of Swapna.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's Scheduled Caste (SC) Morcha on Thursday organised a march demanding the resignation of Higher Education Minister KT Jaleel over the gold smuggling case.
The police used water cannons to disperse the protestors.
Visuals from the protest site showed protestors attempting to push the police barricade while shouting slogans against Jaleel.
KT Jaleel was questioned by the National Investigation Agency and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the Kerala gold smuggling case on September 17. Several protests have been held across the state, including the capital Thiruvananthapuram and outside his residence, seeking his resignation from the cabinet over the same.
The gold smuggling case, which is being probed by the NIA, ED and the Customs department, pertains to the smuggling of gold in the state through diplomatic channels.
The matter had come to light after 30 kg gold worth Rs 14.82 crores smuggled in a consignment camouflaged as diplomatic baggage was busted by the Customs in Thiruvananthapuram on July 5.
