KOCHI:Continuing the crackdown on the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and Popular Front of India (PFI) in the wake of the murder of SFI leader M Abhimanyu at the Ernakulam Maharaja’s College, the Kochi city police on Monday took six SDPI leaders, including its state president, into custody soon after they held a media conference at the Ernakulam Press Club.
SDPI state president P Abdul Majeed Faizy, state vice-president M K Manojkumar, general secretary Roy Arackal and Ernakulam district president P K Shoukath Ali were taken into preventive custody, according to officers.
The drivers of the leaders - Zakeer from Malappuram and Rafeek from Vazhakulam, near Perumbavoor - were first taken into custody when the leaders were holding the press meet at 1 pm. All of them were released after interrogation at the Ernakulam Central Police station.
In the dramatic scenes unfolded outside the Press Club, the SDPI activists were taken into custody under the full glare of the media and the passersby, as the activists raised slogans before getting into the police vehicle.
According to the police, a few matters were verified from their statements and later released.Around 90 SDPI-PFI workers - a majority of them hailing from Ernakulam and Alappuzha districts - were taken into preventive custody on Sunday.
The police have been conducting raids on the SDPI party offices and residences of its leaders following the murder of Abhimanyu on July 1. So far, 10 Campus Front of India and PFI workers have been arrested in connection with the murder. The Ernakulam Central Police are also conducting an inquiry into the attack on police officers during a protest march taken out to the High Court against the Hadia case verdict in 2017. Many SDPI leaders were booked in this case.
SDPI calls off hartal
Kozhikode: The SDPI has called off the dawn-to-dusk hartal it had called in the state on Tuesday. The party had called for a hartal after its top leaders were taken into custody in connection with the murder of Abhimanyu. The hartal was called off following their release.
Suspect’s kin move HC alleging police harassment
Kochi: The family members of some of the suspects in the Abhimanyu murder case approached the High Court on Monday alleging police harassment in the guise of probe. The petitions were filed by K M Mansya, wife of Shameer; V S Nadira, wife of Manaf, and Shaharban, Chungamveli, mother of Arif Bin and Adil Bin. Mansya submitted she was threatened by the police stating she will be implicated in the case. She said her father Majeed was illegally detained by the police on Monday. Nadira, whose husband Manaf is allegedly involved, said Manaf was in their house on the date of the incident. According to her, the police are repeatedly summoning her and family members and harassing them.