KOCHI: A Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Perumbavoor on Monday slammed the police for booking four KSU workers under murder bid charges for hurling shoes at the bus in which Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his cabinet colleagues were travelling as part of Nava Kerala Sadas in Perumbavoor on Sunday evening.
The court granted bail to KSU leaders Basil Varghese, Jayden Jose, Devakumar and Jithin Jose.
The magistrate asked the police about the logic behind charging IPC Section 308 (murder attempt) in the case of throwing shoes on the bus. She asked how murder attempt charges were slapped against the accused persons though the shoe did not land inside the bus and no ministers were injured.
She made an oral observation that the police’s duty is to ensure the security of the public, not just the ministers. The court asked why the people who attacked the KSU workers were also not arrested. The court questioned the police on steps taken against the persons who attacked the accused KSU workers and observed that justice is equal for everyone.
The KSU activist submitted at the court that they were attacked by the police after being taken into custody. On this, the court directed the accused persons to give a detailed complaint and ordered a probe into the accusation.
It was around 4.20 pm on Sunday that KSU activists hurled shoes at the Nava Kerala Sadas bus when it reached near a petrol pump at Odakkali on Aluva-Munnar road.
The FIR claims that the intention of hurling shoes was to cause an accident to the vehicle in which the ministers were travelling.