The Palarivattom police have booked 11 Congress and Youth Congress leaders in Ernakulam district, including MPs and MLAs, on charges of threatening, obstructing and assaulting the police, among other charges, during their siege of the police station that lasted several hours into midnight on Monday.
District Congress Committee president Muhammed Shiyas has been arraigned as the first accused. The other accused are Hibi Eden, MP; MLAs Uma Thomas, T.J. Vinod and Anwar Sadath; Corporation councillors Deepthy Mary Varghese, V.K. Minimol and Sakeer Thammanam; Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) general secretary Abdul Muthalib; Youth Congress State general secretary Abin Varkey; and Congress leader Thamby Subramayam. Besides, 75 other identifiable persons have been booked.
The case has been registered invoking Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), and 283 (danger or obstruction in public way or line of navigation) and the Kerala Police Act 117 (e) referring to interference in the functioning of the police (threatens, obstructs or assaults a police officer with the manifest intention of preventing such officer from discharging any of his duties).
According to the FIR, the 11 Congress leaders and 75 others laid siege to the Palarivattom police station and the road in front of it by staging a sit-in while raising slogans and issuing threats since 7.30 p.m. on Monday. This caused hardships to the people and motorists, disrupting public transport.
Tensions prevailed at the police station after the Congress leaders and activists turned up there to secure the release of the seven Youth Congress activists arrested for waving black flag at the Navakerala Sadas and cavalcade headed to the Collectorate Parade Ground at Palarivattom.
At one point, attempts were made to barge into the police station as the Congress leaders, including Mr. Eden and Mr. Shiyas, accused a police officer of threatening to beat them up. Mr. Eden had said that officers who behave rudely with the elected representatives will not be tolerated and will be dealt with. Mr. Shiyas had also challenged the officer to act on his threat.
Congress allegations
The Congress launched the protest alleging that the police who were initially willing to release the arrested activists on bail changed tack and invoked non-bailable charges on the intervention of local CPI(M) leadership.
However, the police said the revised charges were based on fresh video evidence.
The arrested activists were eventually released shortly after midnight.
