KOCHI: The Ernakulam Rural police on Tuesday arrested four more persons in connection with the vandalising of the set of multi-lingual movie ‘’Minnal Murali’ at Kalady on Sunday. Rahul Raj, 19, of Akanadu, Rahul K R, 23, of Iringole, Gokul, 25, of Koovappadi and Sandeep Kumar, 33, of Keezhillam, all activists of Rashtriya Bajrang Dal and Akhila Hindu Parishad (AHP), are the arrested. Ernakulam Rural SPK Karthik said they were charged under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 2007, (KAAPA).
“The accused have been booked for vandalising the film set, thereby indulging in communal violence. They were also booked under the Kerala Epidemic Diseases Ordinance, 2020,” he said. Police officers said five more persons involved are yet to be arrested. A day after the incident, the police had arrested the key accused Kara Ratheesh, 37, aka Ratheesh Malayattoor, the district president of Rashtriya Bajrang Dal. Ratheesh is a named accused in 29 criminal cases, including three murder cases.
A group of right-wing workers had allegedly vandalised the set of ‘Minnal Murali’ on Sunday night.
The Kerala state unit of AHP had claimed that erecting a huge structure of a church in front of a temple had hurt religious sentiments. Following the incident, Karthik had constituted a special team for the probe.