Kottayam: Police have not yet filed a chargesheet in the case where chief minister's gunman and security personnel allegedly assaulted Alappuzha MLA-elect A D Thomas and Youth Congress state secretary Ajay Jewel Kuriakose. The Congress activists were protesting near the bus carrying the chief minister and ministers during the Nava Kerala Yatra.
Forensic Examination Underway
The mobile phone and pen drive that captured the footage of the alleged assault have been sent for forensic examination. The investigation can be completed only after receiving the results, said district crime branch officers probing the case. The incident took place in Alappuzha on December 15, 2023.
Growing Demand for Action
With the UDF gaining power in the assembly elections, there is a growing demand for a thorough investigation and strict action against the accused. Opposition leader V D Satheesan had said that they would not forget the brutal beating of their workers. The accused in the case include chief minister's gunman Anil Kumar, security staff member S Sandeep, and three other identifiable members of the security team. They have been charged under three bailable sections, but the matter cannot be settled outside court, and the accused will have to face trial.
Incident Details
While the bus was passing through General Hospital Junction, police removed Thomas and Kuriakose, who were waving black flags, but Kumar and Sandeep jumped out of the escort vehicle and beat the Congress activists with batons. Although television channels had broadcast the assault footage, police initially did not register a case based on the activists' complaint. The activists' complaint also demanded an investigation against the chief minister for inciting violence.
Legal Proceedings
Thomas and Kuriakose moved the judicial magistrate first class (JMFC) court 1 after local police failed to take any action on their complaint. Thomas suffered a head injury, and Kuriakose sustained a fracture to his hand from the beating. After the court reviewed the footage, it ordered that a case be registered.
Later, after the chief minister received a complaint, the investigation was handed over to the crime branch. But police initially argued that there was no evidence of assault and that it was a natural action while providing security to the CM. Despite multiple notices, the gunman did not appear. Police later recorded his statement in Thiruvananthapuram. Meanwhile, during the investigation, the gunman was promoted to the rank of inspector.
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