KOCHI: The use of force by the police in their bid to arrest the ooru mooppan (tribal leader) of the Vattuluki hamlet in Sholayur panchayat, Choriya mooppan, 65, and his son, V S Murugan, 44, led to large-scale protests from local people. The video of the police action appeared on the visual media.
The tribals alleged that the police had resorted to highhandedness and arrested the duo forcibly. They said the 17-year-old son of Murugan was also beaten up by the police. The police had acted on a complaint by a neighbour, Kurunthachalam, who has been admitted to the hospital with a head injury.
Three days ago, Kurunthachalam filed the complaint that Murugan and his son had attacked him. It was based on this complaint that the police arrived at the hamlet to arrest Murugan and his father. But local residents including women resisted it.
Members of the Adivasi Action Council and Mooppans Council and Thaikula Sangham woman activists subsequently staged a protest before the Sholayur police station. The leaders said the issue could have been settled amicably by summoning members of both families to the police station. Instead, the police raided the village and behaved harshly with local residents and roughed up even women.The protest was later shifted to the office of the Assistant Superintendent of Police in Agali.
P V Suresh, chairman of the Adivasi Action Council, told TNIE that Kurunthachalam had attacked Rajamani, wife of Murugan, three days ago which led to the incidents. He said they staged a march to the Sholayur police station to protest against the police action and later to the ASP’s office. He said that ASP Padam Singh assured them that he would institute an inquiry.
The police personnel, on the other hand, stated that they had to use force after the local residents tried to prevent the arrest of Choriya mooppan and his son. The duo refused to board the jeep when asked to do so.
Meanwhile, the state human rights commission has registered a case suo motu in this incident.The commission member K Baijunath directed the district police chief to conduct an enquiry and file the report within 15 days. The contents of the report will be considered at the next sitting to be held in Palakkad.