The Kerala State Committee of the All India Bank Officers’ Confederation (AIBOC) on Thursday condemned the mob attack on bank officers during the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid at the residence of former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Thiruvananthapuram in connection with the alleged CMRL-Exalogic financial transactions case.

The case relates to allegations that Exalogic Consulting, a company owned by Veena Vijayan, received ₹1.72 crore from CMRL between 2017 and 2020 for software-related services despite there being no evidence that the services were rendered. The ED action came a day after the Kerala High Court allowed the agency to continue its investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

In a statement, AIBOC said the attack occurred when bank employees were travelling in a vehicle as part of their official duty linked to the ED inspection. The organisation said the incident exposed a serious failure by the state government and law enforcement agencies in ensuring the safety of innocent bank employees.

AIBOC said the bank officers had no direct or indirect connection with the ED investigation, the allegations, or the related political controversy. The employees were present only as independent “panch witnesses”, which is a standard legal procedure during such raids.

The organisation said the ED had requested employees, including a woman officer from a public sector bank, to act as neutral witnesses to ensure transparency in the proceedings. Criticising both the authorities and the violent crowd, AIBOC said innocent officers were placed in danger because the public failed to understand that the bank employees were only witnesses and not participants in the investigation.

The organisation further alleged that despite being aware of the tense political situation and the large gathering outside, ED officials and police allowed the vehicle carrying the bank employees to leave first, thereby exposing them to serious risk. AIBOC described this as a major lapse and an inhuman act.

According to the statement, the crowd attacked and damaged the vehicle without checking who was inside. AIBOC said the violence endangered the lives of the bank employees and strongly condemned the incident.

The organisation also said that authorities have a responsibility to provide adequate security and safe transport arrangements whenever civil employees are assigned duties related to sensitive investigations. It accused both the ED and the police of completely failing in this responsibility.

AIBOC noted that bank employees are already working under severe stress due to staff shortages, heavy workloads, and pressure to meet targets. It said that apart from election duty, census work, and verification-related assignments, bank officers are also being made to serve as witnesses for investigation agencies.

The organisation said bank officers are not trained security personnel but employees responsible for providing banking services to the public. It warned that forcing them into dangerous situations without ensuring their safety or mental well-being cannot be allowed to continue.

Expressing solidarity with the affected employees, AIBOC Kerala said bank officers across the state were deeply concerned over the incident.