RSS worker from Tamil Nadu arrested for harbouring attackers
The police said Manikandan, an active RSS worker, was the brother-in-law of Mahesh, an RSS leader and one of the prime accused in the case involving attack on policemen.
Published: 26th January 2019 07:16 AM | Last Updated: 26th January 2019 07:16 AM | A+A A-
Image used for representational purpose only (Express Illustrations)
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The police team probing attack on officers, including Nedumangadu Sub-Inspector Sunil Gopi, on the day of the hartal organised by BJP-backed Sabarimala Karma Samithi, has nabbed an RSS worker from Tamil Nadu for harbouring one of the prime accused in the case.
Manikandan, a 37-year-old RSS worker from Udiyanparavilai near Chemponvilai in Kalkulam taluk of Kanyakumari, was apprehended by a team led by Crime Branch DySP D Asokan. The police said Manikandan, an active RSS worker, was the brother-in-law of Mahesh, an RSS leader and one of the prime accused in the case involving attack on policemen.
Mahesh is a resident of Pandavapuram near Aanad and has been on the run since the incident. Manikandan has been accused of arranging safe hiding place for Mahesh as well as providing him with new SIM card.
Nedumangadu had witnessed large-scale violence on the hartal day. A couple of country-made bomb explosions were also reported from the area. The police officers were attacked by BJP-RSS workers when the former tried to prevent them from forcefully closing down the branch of a bank at Aanad. Angered by the police interference, they attacked policemen and vandalised police van.
When one of the persons involved in the attack were taken to Nedumangadu station, the RSS workers assembled and detonated country-made bombs outside the station.The man who had hurled the bombs was later identified as RSS pracharak Praveen, a native of Nooranadu in Alappuzha. The hunt for Praveen is still on.
