A four-member team of the Karnataka Police arrived here at 5.30 p.m. on Tuesday to execute the arrest warrant against People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader Abdul Nasir Maudany who has been listed as an accused in the Bangalore serials blasts case.
The Karnataka Police team, led by Crime Branch Special Inquiry Squad Circle Inspector Sidhappa, held discussions with Kollam District Superintendent of Police Harshita Attaluri on providing protection to the team to execute the arrest warrant.
After the talks, Ms. Attaluri told reporters that the Kerala Police were fully prepared to provide protection to the Karnataka team. Protection will be provided as and when they submit a request in this regard, she said.
Ms. Attaluri said she was not in a position to say when Mr. Maudany would be arrested. “It is for the Karnataka Police to decide. The task of the Kerala Police is only to provide protection to effect the arrest subject to a request from the Karnataka Police.”
A company of the Special Armed Police based in Kollam has been put on alert to provide protection at short notice. One battalion of the team is already at Karunagapally, the town close to the Anwarserry camp of Mr. Maudany.
The Karnataka Police arrived in Kochi on Tuesday morning and held talks with Kochi City Police Commissioner Manoj Abraham. They sought commando force to accompany them to Anwarsserry. The team reached Kollam accompanied by six commandos of the Quick Response Team of Kerala Police. More commandos are expected to join them from Thiruvananthapuram.
‘Legal battle'
PTI adds: Talking to reporters at Anwarssery, Mr. Maudany said he would cooperate with the police but would continue his legal battle to prove his innocence.
“If the police team is coming with a court warrant, I will yield to it. But I will carry on with my legal battle to prove that I have been falsely implicated in the case as part of a conspiracy,” Mr. Maudany said. “This case was brought against me by the Karnataka government where the BJP is in power. Obviously, the ruling party there would have some objective while implicating me in the case,” he said.
Though some PDP leaders have gone to Delhi to explore possibilities of moving the Supreme Court against the Karnataka High Court order, Mr. Maudany said he had informed them not to proceed in that direction in view of today's developments.
He urged PDP workers and followers not to be provoked and react emotionally to the situation.
Tense situation
By dusk on Tuesday, the situation at Anwarserry grew tense. Supporters of Mr. Maudany raised slogans and swore that they would resist any attempt to arrest him. A large group of PDP workers and supporters, gagged with black bands, lay down at the entry gates to the Anwarsserry complex to prevent the entry of the Karnataka police team. The Kerala Police fear the outbreak of a law and order situation in the area, a senior police officer told The Hindu. However, the police are prepared to deal with the situation, he added.
