Congress leader arrested for blocking Kerala CM's convoy over Jayanthi event snub

Suspended Hours After Arrest

Sreekaryam police arrested District Congress Committee member Anil Kumar, popularly known as Chenthi Anil, in the early hours of Saturday for allegedly blocking Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan's convoy the previous evening. The arrest followed an FIR registered on Friday after the incident in the Sreekaryam police station limits in Thiruvananthapuram district.

Thiruvananthapuram District Congress Committee president in-charge N. Sakthan announced Mr. Anil would be suspended from the party on Saturday itself. Dismissing Mr. Anil's claim that the police action was driven by factional rivalry within the Congress, Mr. Sakthan said no split exists in the DCC. "How come no one else felt like waylaying the Chief Minister and argue with his entourage? There're no factional issues in the party now and maybe he [M Anil] had a problem with the Chief Minister," he added.

Confrontation Over Jayanthi Event

The confrontation occurred near Kazhakuttam on Friday evening when Mr. Satheesan was travelling to the Sree Narayana Gurukulam at Chempazhanthy for official Sree Narayana Guru Jayanthi celebrations. Mr. Anil, accompanied by a group, waved down the convoy and protested the Chief Minister's decision to skip a separate Jayanthi event planned at Chenthi, where Mr. Anil served on the organising committee. They allegedly misbehaved with Mr. Satheesan when he stepped out of his vehicle to speak with them.

The Chenthi event was not on Mr. Satheesan's official schedule for Friday. Sources in the Chief Minister's Office said Mr. Satheesan had been advised against attending based on intelligence inputs, and his office had notified organisers a week earlier that he would be unable to attend.

Police have charged Mr. Anil under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections for wrongful restraint, intimidation and obstructing public servants from performing their duty. The Congress leader has reportedly denied the charges. He is expected to be produced in court later on Saturday.

Source: The Hindu