KOCHI: Two months after a large group of migrant workers attacked police personnel and vandalised their vehicle on last year’s Christmas eve at Kizhakkambalam, the Ernakulam Rural Police filed a chargesheet on Wednesday, naming 175 accused.
In the 524-page chargesheet submitted before the Kolenchery judicial first-class magistrate Court on Wednesday, all have been charged with unlawful assembly, rioting, possession of lethal weapons, destruction of public property and obstruction of the duty of public servants.
As many as 109 workers from Assam, Nagaland, Jharkhand and UP, who were arrested in the case registered by the Kunnathunadu police, are still behind the bars while 65 got bail. An argument over reciting carol at the quarters of migrant workers of Kitex Apparel Park escalated into a fight around 11.30pm on December 24 last year.
When a security staffer at the labour camp intervened, he too was attacked. A group of police officers on night patrol rushed to the spot after Kitex authorities alerted them while a team from Kunnathunadu station joined them in an attempt to bring the situation under control. Hundreds of labourers vandalised a police vehicle using lethal weapons and did not allow the officers to get out of it.
A team of officers under Inspector of Police V T Shajan reached the spot, but the mob set a jeep ablaze in the meantime.The workers pelted stones at the police and also damaged their other jeeps. Shajan sustained head injuries and fractured his hand in the attack.
“Two cases, for attacking police and vandalising their vehicles, were registered and the chargesheet has been filed in the case pertaining to vandalising the police vehicle,” said an officer. As many as 51 migrant workers were arrested in the case for attacking Shajan. Rural SP K Karthick constituted a special team headed by Perumbavoor ASP Anuj Puliwal to carry out the probe.
Charges against accused
In the 524-page chargesheet submitted before the Kolenchery judicial first-class magistrate Court, all have been charged with unlawful assembly, rioting, possession of lethal weapons, destruction of public property and obstruction of the duty of public servants.