Four employees of the city Corporation and two other members of the Kerala Municipality and Corporation Staff Union (KMSCU) have been suspended by the State government on charge of assaulting Corporation councillors following a picketing organised by the United Democratic Front councillors near the Corporation office last week.
Urban Affairs Minister Manjalamkuzhi Ali issued the orders on Wednesday suspending health inspector at Nedumangadu municipality Shailendra Prasad; upper division clerk at Kunnumkulam municipality Prashant; and city Corporation peons Manikantan, Suresh, Raju and Rajan, all members of KMSCU, a left-wing employees’ union.
The orders were issued based on a report filed by Local Self-Government Department Principal Secretary James Varghese.
An official of the Department said that the State government decided to suspend the employees as they had assaulted elected representatives of the Corporation council. “The decision is to impose major penalty on the employees according to the police investigation report,” the official said.
Meanwhile, the city Corporation and KMSCU have expressed strong protest against the suspension. Mayor K. Chandrika said that she would express her protest against the move in writing to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.
Corporation work standing committee chairperson V.S. Padmakumar said that the suspension was politically motivated. “We will express our protest to the State government and request the Minister to withdraw the suspension. If they do not relent we will go ahead with strong protest programmes,” he said.
