The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Monday expelled four party members in connection with the Karuvannur Service Cooperative Bank loan scam.
It also took disciplinary action against party leaders who failed to act on complaints about the fraud.
The district secretariat and the district committee meetings held on Sunday and Monday respectively took the decision. Party acting State secretary A. Vijayaraghavan and State secretariat member Baby John attended both meetings.
The party expelled former bank director board president K.K. Divakaran and three accused in the scam — former bank secretary and CPI(M) Porathissery local committee member T.R. Sunil Kumar, former bank manager and CPI(M) Karuvannur local committee member Biju Karim, and former accountant and CPI(M) Thoduparambu branch member C.K. Jilse.
Mr. Divakaran, CPI(M) Porathissery branch secretary, was expelled for his failure in unearthing the fraud.
Demoted
Two district committee members, Ullas Kalakkad and All India Democratic Women’s Association leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Irinjalakuda Municipality K.R. Vijaya, were demoted to the area committee. Former district secretariat member C.K. Chandran, who had the responsibility of the bank, was suspended for one year.
The party also removed K.C. Premaraj, Irinjalakuda area secretary, and P.S. Viswambaran, Karuvannur local secretary, from the respective posts. It also suspended bank board members M.B. Dinesh, T.S. Biju, Ambili, Mahesh, and N. Narayanan. The loan scam had put the CPI(M) in the dock. It was alleged that the party had failed to respond even after coming to know about the scam.
The party, on receiving complaints, had reportedly appointed an inquiry commission a few months ago. Though the two-member commission handed over its report, no action was taken against the erring officials.
Though there were reports that the Crime Branch had taken four of the accused in the case into custody, their arrests had not been recorded yet.
