The police have identified around 30 persons out of the 200 anti-socials who ran riot in Kottiyoor and the surrounding areas last week, and suspect that they are members of criminal groups having links with quarry and sand mining lobby. According to police sources, the violence on the night of last Thursday and Friday was fuelled by a group of criminals who are suspected to be the members of the goonda gang of the quarry and sand mining lobby, and regular offenders of forest laws. The police say that the gangs were brought in tipper trucks on the night of the violence. They suspect that the criminal gangs had pre-planned the attacks.
Efforts are on to nab the criminals who set the police and forest vehicles on fire and those who set ablaze a forest office in Kottiyoor. Many of the criminals are suspected to have gone into hiding by now.
More than 1,500 persons have been booked in various violence-related cases. Cases have been registered against 28 persons for brutally attacking mediapersons. ‘Mangalam’ reporter Yasodharan is still undergoing treatment in the ICU of the Pariyaram Medical College.