A dramatic scene unfolded in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram as huge crowds gathered to resist the arrest of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councilor Sugathan after he faced preventive detention under the Kerala Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA). The scene unfolded on Tuesday when police arrived to arrest Sugathan.
A BJP councilor in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation’s Vasutkonam ward, Sugathan, was taken into custody late at night after the Kerala High Court denied him anticipatory bail in an alleged assault during a festival at Velaykadavu temple in Vattiyurkavu.
The arrest sparked tension and unrest as huge crowds gathered around the accused’s house when a team of police officers arrived at his house to implement the arrest warrant, according to details mentioned in the PTI report, which added that people surrounded the officers, prevented them from carrying out their duties, and forced them to fire into the air to disperse the crowd.
After the shooting, Sugathan was overpowered and taken into custody. The Pakistani News Agency reported that a report of his arrest was prepared, followed by a medical examination and his transfer to prison.
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New assault case
The case relates to an incident that reportedly took place on March 22 at the Velikadavu temple during a music festival, when a 50-year-old man attacked a youth by running over him and hitting his head with an iron rod.
When another young man tried to intervene in the situation, the accused also attacked him, leading to his arrest by Vattiyurkavu police on May 3, according to the Times Of India. Sugathan was reportedly trying to evade arrest for more than a month after he was named as an accused in the case.
Due to the hostilities that emerged on Tuesday night, a new case of assault was registered against Sugathan and four others linked to the incident. Charges were brought regarding allegations of assaulting public officials and obstructing the performance of their duties.
According to the FIR registered, Sugathan pushed Vattiyurkavu police inspector, assistant inspector, part of the arrest team and an assault was attempted. Other defendants later joined the attack, causing injuries to the police officers and obstructing the police officers from executing the arrest warrant.
Circle Inspector Vipin and Sub-Inspector Abhijith were reportedly injured in the attack.
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Allegations of Sugathan’s wife
In a new turn of events, Sugathan’s wife, Awathi, has reportedly accused police officials of entering their house without any female staff, assaulting her and intimidating their children. She also accused the police of trying to detain her and claimed that her eight-year-old son had been pushed during the disturbance.
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Sugathan’s family denied all allegations of assault and accused the police of using excessive force during the arrest. In addition, his wife asserted that the defendant was not on the run at the time of his arrest, but was simply undergoing medical treatment for chicken pox at the time of his arrest.
