The Kerala Police on early Tuesday arrested state president of the Youth Congress Rahul Mamkoottathil in connection with a case registered after violent protest during the Secretariat march of the Youth Congress last month.
A police team from Cantonment police station in Thiruvananthapuram arrested Rahul from his residence in Adoor in the early morning and brought him to Thiruvananthapuram. A total of 31 Youth Congress workers were arrested in connection with the case. Rahul Mamkoottathil is the fourth accused while Leader of the Opposition in the assembly VD Satheesan is the first accused in the case.
“The police arrested him as if he was a terrorist. They surrounded the house first,” Rahul’s mother lamented.
The police said Rahul was arrested in connection with a case registered after the violent protest during the Secretariat march of the Youth Congress on December 21.
The Youth Congress march to the Kerala Secretariat on December 21 against the attack on its workers during the LDF government’s Nava Kerala Sadas had turned violent. Rahul Mankoottathil, who was hit on the head by a lathi, and vice-president Albin Varkey, sustained injuries in the clash with police.
The police charged him under a non-bailable section of the IPC alleging that they had destroyed the public property and attacked the police during the march.
Meanwhile, Congress leaders have come out against the arrest of Rahul. KPCC president K Sudhakaran MP condemned the arrest of the Youth Congress state president calling it a disgraceful act. Severely criticising the early morning arrest, the Opposition leader said that Rahul is neither a traitor nor a terrorist to arrest him early in the morning. “Rahul Mamkoottathil is neither a traitor nor a terrorist to be arrested early in the morning by dragging out of his bedroom. He was always available and visible to the public” he added.
He further said the LDF Government led by Pinarayi Vijayan is advocating state terror.
Agitated over the arrest of Mamkoottathil, the Youth Congress organised protests across the state, including a blockade of the National Highways.In Thiruvananthapuram, the Youth Congress workers blocked the police vehicle when Rahul was transferred to Fort Taluk Hospital for medical examination.
The protestors led by Youth Congress district president Nemom Shajeer blocked traffic even as the cops tried to push them away. Shajeer said the police were keeping them in the dark about where they were going to take Rahul.
A confrontation unfolded between Rahul and a police sub-inspector at the police station. Rahul got irked when Cantonment Inspector B M Shafi tried to force him into the vehicle. The incident set off a heated argument between the two.
The Youth Congress workers blocked roads at Chavara in Kollam, Kannur and Malappuram and laid siege to a police station in Palakkad.
Protests were also held in all the district headquarters which were led by senior Congress leaders and people’s representatives.
Meanwhile, the First Class Judicial Magistrate Court (3) here rejected Rahul’s bail plea and remanded him for two weeks till the 22nd of this month.