The Thrissur Town East Police on Wednesday registered a case against Thrissur Corporation Mayor M.K. Varghese and his driver Laurence for allegedly attempting to hit protesting Opposition councillors with his car.
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The case has been registered under IPC 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) and IPC 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons). The driver is the first accused and the Mayor, the second in the case.
The incident happened on Tuesday when the UDF councillors who were protesting against the poor quality of drinking water distributed in the city tried to stop the Mayor’s car. The UDF councillors alleged that driver Laurence deliberately tried to hit them, who were “protesting peacefully”, on the direction of the Mayor.
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The UDF councillors were continuing their agitation at the Mayor’s chamber on Wednesday night even after the cases were registered. “We will withdraw the agitation only after the dismissal of the driver,” said Rajan K. Pallan, the Opposition leader of the council.
On Tuesday, seven UDF councillors who suffered minor injuries in the incident were admitted to a hospital.
The UDF councillors protesting in front of the Mayor’s chamber also demanded distribution of quality drinking water.
“The Mayor, who is neglecting the protest by the councillors for quality drinking water, is posing a challenge to the people. He is trying to silence the Opposition by unleashing violence,” said Mr. Pallan who joined the protesters after being discharged from the hospital. The UDF councillors shifted the protest to the Mayor’s chamber later in the day.
Earlier, senior Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and Oommen Chandy visited the injured councillors at the hospital. “The incident was shocking. The Mayor, who holds a responsible position, should have acted in a more balanced manner,” they said.