Kerala Congress leader arrested for allegedly blocking Satheesan’s convoy

Congress leader Anil Kumar alias Chenthi Ani was arrested for allegedly obstructing Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan’s convoy in Thiruvananthapuram. Congress removed him from the party following the incident. Police booked him under BNS sections concerning wrongful restraint, intimidation and obstruction of a public servant

Thiruvananthapuram: A Congress leader was arrested for allegedly blocking Chief Minister V D Satheesan’s convoy while he was on his way to attend a function at Chenthi here, police said on Saturday. The arrested Thiruvananthapuram District Congress Committee (DCC) leader Anil Kumar alias Chenthi Ani and others allegedly blocked the official convoy, demanding that the CM attend an event there though it was not in the chief minister’s accepted list of events, officials said.

Initiating disciplinary action, Congress removed Ani from the party. Also, according to police, Ani is listed in the Rowdy History Sheet (RHS) of Sreekaryam police station and six criminal cases had been registered against him.

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On Friday evening, Satheesan was on his way to Chempazhanthy to attend an event marking the birth anniversary of social reformer Sree Narayana Guru.

On the way, a group of people organising another Sree Narayana Guru event at Chenthi signalled the chief minister’s vehicle to stop, police said.

Satheesan stepped out of the vehicle following their request and was seen in television visuals arguing with Congress leader Ani. After spending a few minutes at the spot, Satheesan returned to his vehicle and left, police said.

Police said no event at Chenthi was listed in the chief minister’s schedule. Following the incident, organisers, including Congress workers, released a photograph of themselves meeting the chief minister a few months back at the Secretariat to invite him to the event at Chenthi. They also told reporters that the police had visited the venue on Thursday and suggested the number of people allowed to sit on the stage.

Late on Friday night, Ani was taken into custody and shifted to Sreekaryam police station, where the case was registered. Later, his arrest was recorded after the interrogation.

The case was registered under Sections 126(2), 351(2) and 132 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), relating to wrongful restraint, criminal intimidation and assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of duty, respectively.

According to the FIR, at around 5.55 pm, the chief minister’s vehicle stopped after he saw senior Congress leaders assembled at Chenthi and interacted with them.

“The accused allegedly confronted the chief minister in an aggressive manner and loudly questioned him as to why he was not attending the event despite it being an accepted programme. When asked to refrain from being aggressive, the accused allegedly threatened, What will you do if I get angry?, thereby publicly insulting the CM and obstructing the official duties of police personnel accompanying the convoy,” the FIR said.

The case was registered based on the statement of an officer who was on route-clearing duty in the area. The role of the other persons is being probed based on videos taken at the time, officials said.

When Ani was taken to hospital for a medical examination, he alleged that his arrest was part of group politics within the Congress. “It is part of the party’s group politics. Groupism is the problem,” he claimed, but declined to respond to reporters’ questions about CM Satheesan. Ani was later produced before a Judicial First Class Magistrate who remanded him to judicial custody.

In its remand report, police said Ani is listed in the RHS of Sreekaryam police station and cited six criminal cases registered against him.

“Investigation revealed that with the intent and premeditation to block the chief minister’s convoy, insult him and obstruct the official duties of police personnel during route duty at Chenthi, the accused blocked the vehicle when the chief minister stepped out to see senior Congress leaders” the remand report said. KPCC president Sunny Joseph said Ani had been ousted from the party following the incident.

“At the government level, the police have taken action. At the party level, disciplinary action has also been taken against him,” Joseph said.

Joseph said he had spoken to Satheesan, who told him that the organisers of the Chenthi event had been informed that he would not be attending it.

“It was a wrong action on their part, due to which a police case was registered and the party took disciplinary action. After mistakes were found on their part, the party took action,” he said.

Joseph said the action against Ani showed that the party would not protect wrongdoing. Ani’s arrest also triggered discontent among some district-level Congress leaders.

DCC member Suhail Shajahan expressed his protest against the arrest after meeting Ani at the Sreekaryam police station. “Regardless of which group or faction they belong to, as a person, I am personally saddened to see a Congress worker like Ani, who risked his life for the party and worked tirelessly for it, get arrested in this manner,” he told reporters.

Shajahan said the Congress was a democratic party and everyone in it had the right to express their concerns. He alleged that senior Congress leader Peethambara Kurup, who was present at the spot, was pulled away by police. “It can be seen in the visuals. So, as a colleague, Ani might have reacted to that. There was no situation here warranting an arrest and putting someone in jail, especially during this Onam season,” he said.