The police arrested a local leader of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) in connection with the case of attack on a restaurant functioning on P.T. Usha Road near the fourth gate here on Thursday.
A special team led by Nadakkavu Circle Inspector Moosa Vallikadan arrested K. Niveth, mandalam president of BJYM, hailing from Vellayil in the early hours of Saturday. He was charged with sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 148(rioting, armed with deadly weapons), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), among others of the IPC. Niveth was produced before the Kozhikode Judicial First Class Magistrate Court and remanded in judicial custody for 14 days, the police said.
As of now nine identifiable persons have been charged with the offence. This was based on the evidence collected from the footage of the Closed Circuit Television camera installed at the restaurant.
“More people could be involved in the incident. A manhunt has been launched to nab the accused,” Dheeraj Kumar Gupta, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Kozhikode city, told The Hindu .
The case related to a group of youngsters, reportedly belonging to the BJYM, attacking the restaurant — Downtown Café — alleging that the owners facilitated immoral activities for students. They had shattered the glass panes and destroyed furniture, television sets, and other property on Thursday forenoon.
The attack was carried out after a television channel aired visuals of young couples and students mingling with each other on the restaurant premises. The Vellayil police had registered a case on the basis of a complaint filed by the owners of the restaurant. Assistant Commissioner of Police (Control Room) K.K. Moideenkutty is supervising the case.
Incidentally the attack was carried out by the group led BJYM State secretary Prakash Babu at around 11 a.m. Later, he told journalists that he had evidence to prove that the restaurant indulged in immoral activities.
However, Bazil Moosa, managing director of the restaurant, denied the allegations and said that no such incident had come to their notice.
