Youth Cong state chief denied bail, in custody till Jan 22
A MAGISTRATE court in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday denied bail to Kerala state president of Youth Congress Rahul Mamkootathil in connection with a protest during a Secretariat march. He was remanded in judicial custody till January 22.
Mamkootathil was arrested in the wee hours of Tuesday in connection with a protest march to the Secretariat on December 21 last year. He was arrested on charges under the Prevention of Damage to Public Property (PDPP) Act. Mamkootathil was taken into custody by a group of policemen from his house in Pathanamthitta district.
As the counsel of Mamkottathil said that he had health issues, the court directed a health check-up. Mamkootathil was remanded after doctors reported that he was medically fit.
Mamkootathil was shifted to the Central Jail in Poojappura. The denying of bail has come as a surprise to hundreds of his followers who had thronged around the court. They tried to block the vehicle while he was taken to the jail after the medical check-up.
The Youth Congress has called for a secretariat march on Wednesday in protest against the arrest.
What is the case against Rahul Mamkootathil?
The Youth Congress had organized the protest march to the Secretariat on December 21 last year, alleging attack on the part of the police and Left workers against its members during the Nava Kerala Sadas, an outreach programme of the LDF Government.
During the march, clashes broke out between police and the protester, who allegedly attacked the former using wooden rods. Several police vehicles were damaged. Police said that there was an estimated loss of Rs 1 lakh due to the violence. Cantonment Police registered a case, listing Opposition leader VD Satheesh as the first accused while Mamkootathil is the fourth. MLAs M Vincent and Shafi Parambil are the second and third accused.
Following the arrest, Mamkootathil alleged that police had turned into mere security guards of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Congress raises protest
Terming the arrest ‘outrageous’, Indian Youth Congress national president BV Srinvas said that the arrest for protesting against the state government and CPI(M) was an assault on democracy. “Peaceful dissent is a right, not a crime. Kerala govt stop targeting opposition & unleashing political vendetta!,” he wrote on twitter.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Sudhakaran alleged that the arrest was a result of a conspiracy between the CPI(M) and the police. He said that there was no need to treat the state president of the Youth Congress like a criminal by arresting him in an early morning raid.
Opposition Leader VD Satheesan, Shashi Tharoor MP, Ramesh Chennithala and other Congress leaders raised their protest against the arrest.
