High drama prevailed at the post-metric boys’ hostel in the city when the district Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Development Officer K. Sandhya turned up on Friday morning ahead of an inspection by the Deputy Director of the department.
An inmate of the hostel, K.P. Abhijit, allegedly shoved her and blocked her vehicle. Later in the day, Ms. Sandhya lodged a complaint with the District Police Chief (Kochi City) and Central police alleging bodily harm and obstruction to her job. Abhijit also lodged a counter petition accusing that an attempt was made on his life by knocking him down with the officer’s car.
Central police sources said that statements have been collected from both the parties and steps are being initiated to register cases.
Ms. Sandhya claimed that the inmate’s allegation was baseless. According to her, he had slammed the gate of the hostel against her car to block it and the gate rebounded on him knocking him down to the ground.
Abhijit, a resident of Kannur, was a B.Voc. (Journalism) student of St. Albert’s College. He remains rusticated from the college for lack of attendance because of which he couldn’t appear for exams. No longer being a student made his stay in the hostel untenable.
On November 3, he had allegedly locked up Ms. Sandhya in a room in the hostel for about three hours demanding action against the steward in charge of the hostel. He alleged that harassment on the part of the steward drove him to the brink. She was freed only after she agreed to take action and the steward now remains suspended.
