Congress leader and Chalakudy MP Benny Behanan has said he welcomes action against Maoists, as the group should be firmly dealt with, but there should also be an investigation against the police officers involved in the killing of four Maoists in Attappady in Palakkad district.
He added that there was no tension as claimed by the police. A team that visited the encounter site did not find any evidence of tension that led to police action. Mr. Behanan was addressing the media after the foundation stone laying for a milk quality testing laboratory at Edappally on Saturday.
On the issue of the widening rift between the two groups in the Kerala Congress, Mr. Behanan said the UDF and the Congress wanted them to reach an agreement. They must find points of union and come together or face setbacks like the one suffered in the Pala by-election, he added. On the controversy over replacing Mayor Soumini Jain, he said he and other party leaders had conveyed their views to the KPCC leadership.
