THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: CPM leader and district panchayat member Vellanad Shashi was arrested on Wednesday by the Aryanad police on non-bailable charges for allegedly trespassing into a shop and assaulting women and children. Police arrested Shashi following the complaint of the shopkeeper and with evidence in the form of video footage.
The incident happened when a dispute arose over the removal of a board of a shop owned by a man named Arun from the wayside. Shashi was seen engaged in a heated argument with Arun’s wife, Sukanya, and his mother, Geetha.
A video of the confrontation surfaced, showing Shashi forcefully snatching a mobile phone from Sukanya’s son, Mohit, and throwing it away when the boy attempted to record the scene. When the child cried, Sukanya and Geetha intervened and tried to stop Shashi. This escalated the conflict. The video evidence also showed Shashi attempting to assault the women.
Following the incident, the shop owner lodged a complaint at the Aryanad police station that resulted in Shashi’s arrest under charges that included physical assault and threatening behaviour.
However, Shashi claimed that he was attacked by those present inside the shop after he asked them to remove the board from the roadside. Shashi filed a complaint with the police, alleging that he was the victim of the attack. The CPM leader, who is a recent turncoat of the Congress, was elected as a district panchayat member from the Vellanad division.