KOCHI: One more person behind the vandalising of the Minnal Murali movie set in Kalady was arrested on Sunday. Krishnadas, 28, a native of Manikkamangalam, Kalady, was arrested from Perumbavoor. The number of persons arrested in the case has now risen to six, with the police terming Krishnadas as a key conspirator in the case.
“He has a criminal record with several theft cases being registered against him. He was also booked for an ATM robbery attempt at Koratty in Thrissur and for possessing lethal weapons,” an officer said.
He has been charged under the relevant sections of the Prevention of Damage to Private Property and Payment of Compensation Act, and the Epidemic Diseases Ordinance 2020 for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion.
The relevant sections of the Kerala Anti-Social Activities Prevention Act (KAPA) will also be invoked against him. The police had earlier arrested five persons including gangster Ratheesh Malayattoor, 37, notorious as ‘Kara Ratheesh’. He is the district president of the Rashtriya Bajrang Dal and the alleged mastermind behind the destruction of the movie set. Of the 11 people who took part in the vandalism directly, five are yet to be arrested, the police said.
Hailing from the Perumbavoor area, Ratheesh is also the key accused in the attack at Kalady which claimed the life of Sanal Devasykutty on September 26, 2016. A team headed by Ernakulam Rural SP K Karthik is investigating the case. The set of Minnal Murali — a multi-lingual movie — was vandalised on May 28 allegedly by right-wing activists.
According to the state unit of the Akhila Hindu Parishad (AHP), the huge structure of a church raised in front of a temple on the Periyar’s banks had hurt religious sentiments. The climax was supposed to be shot in the church, but the lockdown hit the movie schedule. The film crew put the loss at around `50 lakh. Directed by Basil Joseph, the movie has Tovino Thomas in the lead role.