KOCHI: Five Congress leaders including former Kochi mayor and Congress leader Tony Chammany who were allegedly involved in vandalising actor Joju George's car during the party's Vyttila-Edappally NH bypass blockade on November 1 in protest against the fuel price hike surrendered before the police on Monday evening.
Besides Chammany, Youth Congress State Secretaries Manu Jacob and PY Shahjahan and Youth Congress Mandalam presidents Gerges and Arun Varghese were the others who surrendered before the Maradu police station. The police recorded the arrest of all the surrendered persons. Earlier, two Congress party workers Shereef Buhari, an INTUC leader and former Thrikkakara mandalam president of Youth Congress, and INTUC leader Joseph were arrested and are currently under judicial custody.
The leaders arrived along with a rally organised by hundreds of Congress workers under DCC president Mohammed Shiyas. Police blocked the rally in front of the station placing barricades and allowing only the accused to enter the station. "The party leaders have been wrongly implicated in the case and Joju George is dancing to the tune of the CPM. We will face the case legally and politically," he said.
Meanwhile, Congress workers staged a protest in front of the Maradu Police Station alleging that a case has not been registered against Joju George over the complaint of the Mahila Congress citing that he verbally and physically abused women party workers.
Though local Congress leaders tried to settle the issue with the actor, talks failed and Joju decided to go forward with his complaint. The actor also filed a petition seeking to implead him in the bail application filed by Joseph before the Chief Judicial Magistrate court. The Kochi city police have registered a case against 15 persons including former mayor Tony Chammany for breaking the rear windshield of Joju's vehicle after the actor confronted the Congress workers for resorting to a road blockade.