The Njarakkal police on Monday arrested four Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] workers, including the Vypeen area secretary, on charge of attacking Communist Party of India (CPI) workers and destroying property at the CPI local committee office.
The arrested are CPI(M) area secretary A.P. Prinil and party workers Sunil, Sooraj, and Sabu. They were later released on bail. The police have booked one more person who is yet to be identified.
The incident took place in the wake of a procession taken out by the CPI(M) shortly after the election to the Njarakkal Service Cooperative Bank on Sunday. The party was reduced to three out of nine seats in the election to the governing committee while the rest were won by a combine of the Congress and the CPI.
During the course of the procession, CPI(M) workers led by Prinil allegedly barged into the CPI local committee office and manhandled party Vypeen secretary K.L. Dileep Kumar and local secretary N.A. Dasan, besides destroying office property including chairs, flex boards, and a flag pole. Mr. Kumar was with the CPI(M) before switching sides to the CPI and joined hands with the Congress to pull off similar victories against CPI(M)-led panels in the Karthedam Service Cooperative Bank and the Perumpillly Service Cooperative Society.
The accused were booked under Sections 451 (trespass), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 427 (aggravated mischief), 143 (unlawful assembly), and 147 (rioting) of the Indian Penal Code.
CPI and Congress workers had taken out a protest march to the Njarakkal police station on Sunday evening accusing the police of remaining mute spectators as CPI(M) workers allegedly went on a rampage.
