Thiruvananthapuram: The arrest of Youth Congress Kerala president Rahul Mankoottathil from his house on Tuesday early morning in connection with a case pertaining to a recent stir against the government has triggered widespread protest by the Congress and allegations of 'police raj' by the CPM-led Left Democratic Front government in Kerala.
Congress workers staged violent protests across the state and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was burnt in effigy. Congress alleged that Mankoottathil was arrested by surrounding his house like a terrorist as per the instruction of the Chief Minister inorder to suppress protests against the government.
A team of Thiruvananthapuram city police held Mankoottathil from his house at Adoor in Pathanamthitta early in the morning. The police entered the house and knocked at Mankoottathil's bedroom and nabbed him. Party local workers who rushed to the house tried to block the police vehicle.
His mother Beena told reporters that her son was held by surrounding the house as if he was a terrorist or absconding person.
Mankootathil was produced before court in Thiruvananthapuram by evening and was remanded to judicial custody till January 22. Attempts by police to prevent Mankoottathil from talking to the media while being taken to the court had led to a commotion between Congress workers and police. Mankootathil alleged that the police were acting like CPM workers.
Mankoottathil was arraigned as fourth accused in the case pertaining to a secretariat march on December 20. The march was taken out in protest against the police action on Youth Congress workers who waved black flags at the Chief Minister at various parts of the state during the recently concluded mass outreach programme, 'Nava Kerala Sadas'. The march turned violent and police vehicles were also damaged. Sections of PDPP Act and offences like causing injury to police were initiated. Police justified the early morning arrest as a bid to avoid law and order problems.
Opposition leader V D Satheesan, who inaugurated the march, was arraigned as first accused in the case and Congress MLAs Shafi Parambil and M Vincent are also second and third accused. But they were not yet arrested.
Satheesan said that Mankoottathil was held like a terrorist by surrounding his house even as he was very much present at public functions over these days. Moreover, the others accused, including him, were not yet arrested, said Satheesan.