Former State Police Chief T.P. Senkumar courted controversy on Thursday when he turned his ire on a journalist and went to the extent of asking him whether he was drunk. The incident took place during a joint press conference called by Mr. Senkumar and Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) general secretary Subhash Vasu at the Thiruvananthapuram Press Club on Thursday.
Mr. Senkumar became indignant when journalist Kadavil K. Rasheed asked him about Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala’s remark that he regretted appointing Mr. Senkumar as DGP during the previous United Democratic Front government’s term.
Raising his voice, Mr. Senkumar demanded that the journalist identify himself and step forward. He also wanted to know whether he was drunk.
Members of Mr. Senkumar’s group tried to eject Mr. Rasheed, who is the Bureau Chief of Kalapremi Malayalam daily, from the hall. But they were stopped from doing so by other journalists who raised a protest and intervened.
Mr. Rasheed, who is recovering after medical treatment, displayed his press accreditation card to Mr. Senkumar before taking his seat. Mr. Senkumar also responded sharply to Mr. Vasu who tried to calm him down. Later, replying to the question, Mr. Senkumar said he had responded to Mr. Chennithala’s remark at Irinjalakkuda.
Mr. Rasheed said he had filed a complaint against Mr. Senkumar at the Cantonment police station.
Meanwhile, the Thiruvananthapuram district committee of the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) condemned the incident and demanded an apology from Mr. Senkumar. The police should register a case against the men who tried to manhandle Mr. Rasheed, the KUWJ said.
