THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: CPM leader and Vellanad panchayat president Vellanad Sasi, who had been absconding in the case of killing a porcupine, surrendered before the Paruthippally Forest Office around 3.30pm on Tuesday.
The case relates to an incident on February 28, when a porcupine that entered the compound of a house at Valiyara in Vellanad was allegedly beaten to death by Sasi using an iron pipe. The porcupine had strayed into the premises of a resident, following which the family informed the ward member, who in turn alerted the panchayat president. Local residents and the house owner had also informed forest officials and were waiting for them to arrive when the incident happened.
Sasi has been booked under non-bailable sections of the Wildlife Protection Act. The porcupine is listed under Schedule I of the Act, and harming or killing it can get a punishment of three to seven years’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs 25,000.
The case is being investigated by a team led by Paruthippally Forest Range Officer S Sreeju. Visuals of the incident were widely circulated.
He has been involved in controversies earlier as well. Recently, he and some women ward members allegedly locked the panchayat secretary inside a room following a dispute over the use of a panchayat vehicle.
In September 2024, Sasi was arrested in Pathanamthitta in a case related to trespassing into a shop and allegedly assaulting women and children. The police had booked him under non-bailable sections.
Earlier in 2021, Sasi was arrested in a case related to vandalising the foundation stone of a health sub-centre, allegedly in protest against not being invited to its inauguration. In the same year, he had cut out his own photograph from flex boards installed in front of the panchayat office, claiming that his consent had not been sought before using the image.