Kerala - Pathanamthitta   

Arrest of four DYFI workers sparks protests

PATHANAMTHITTA: The arrest of four Democratic Youth Federation of India workers by the Aranmula police, in connection with the attack on an engineering student at Mount Zion Engineering College at Kadammanitta a few weeks ago, has kicked up a controversy with the Communist Party of India(Marxist) alleging that they were being harassed by the police.

DYFI activists Reji George, Jubin Cherian, Anish and Mithun, were arrested recently in connection with the attack on the engineering student Arun S. Nair.

On Monday, DYFI workers staged a dharna before Aranmula police station, protesting against “police harassment of the accused.” A. Padmakumar, CPI(M) district committee member, inaugurated the dharna. K.C. Rajagopalan, MLA, V. Purushothaman Pillai, Babu Koickalethu, CPI(M) leaders, Francis V. Antony, DYFI district president and N. Sajikumar, district secretary, also spoke. Meanwhile, K. Sivadasan Nair, MLA, accused the CPI(M) of “trying to save those who attacked the engineering student.” Mr. Nair said the police had arrested the four after ascertaining their involvement in the crime. “The move by the CPI(M) leaders, including the local MLA, to protect the accused is deplorable,” he said.

In a statement here on Monday, V.N. Unni, Bharatiya Janata Party State vice-president, alleged that the CPI(M) had even made a futile attempt to forcibly release the DYFI workers from police custody, alleging police harassment against them.

Mr. Unni alleged that the DYFI-CPI(M) dharna on Monday amounted to challenging the rule of law. He said that the local Circle Inspector and Sub-Inspector, who arrested the four accused, had been excluded from the investigation of the case with a dubious design to save the culprits.

The police had recovered the weapons used by the accused to attack the student, besides three motorbikes and a car which they used to escape, he added.

He also called for immediate arrest of all the other accused in the case.

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