Five LDF activists including the district vice-president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the attack on Chief Minister Oommen Chandy during his visit to the district on Sunday.
According to town CI K Vinodkumar, five persons were arrested on Tuesday in the raids at various parts in the district. The arrested were produced before the Kannur JFCM and remanded for 14 days. With the arrest of the five, the total number of persons arrested in connection with the attempt to murder case has risen to 23.
The arrested include Hameed Irinavu, district vice-president of NCP, who was arrested around 12 pm on Tuesday, CPM Dharmadam local committee secretary N K Ravi and local committee member K Purushothaman. Sources said that two more CPM members were also taken into custody in the case on Tuesday. They also revealed that the police had identified two persons who hurled stones at the CM’s vehicle. More arrests are likely to take place in the coming days. The police have filed cases against 1,000 LDF workers including Payyanur MLA C Krishnan and Dharmadam MLA K K Narayanan, both belonging to the CPM.
Meanwhile, NCP claimed that their district vice-president was innocent and complained that the government was taking revenge on its party members. NCP district president V V Kunhikkannan Master alleged that the government was using the police to target political rivals.