KOCHI : The endless man-animal conflicts have snowballed into a hot political debate after the Congress intensified its protests seeking justice for Indira Ramakrishnan, the elderly woman who died in an elephant attack on Monday at Kanjiraveli, near Neriamangalam, in Idukki district.
Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan reached Kothamangalam extending support to the stir as MLAs Mathew Kuzhalnadan and Eldose Kunnappillil, along with the party’s Ernakulam district president Mohammed Shiyas, started a hunger strike at Gandhi Square in the town on Tuesday. The Congress also took out a protest march.
Dramatic scenes unfolded in Kothamangalam on Monday night when the police arrested Kuzhalnadan and Shiyas for staging protests carrying the body of Indira. Kuzhalnadan was arrested from a tent put up at the Post Office Junction where he was staging an indefinite hunger strike along with Kunnappillil seeking justice for the deceased and a permanent solution to the man-animal conflicts across the state. Shiyas was picked up from an eatery near the protest venue when he went out for tea. However, by around 3.30am, the magistrate granted interim bail to the arrested when they were produced before the magistrate.
On Tuesday, the Kothamangalam Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, which considered the case, adjourned the bail hearing to Wednesday. The police have registered another case against Congress leaders, including Kuzhalnadan and 16 others, based on a complaint from the Kothamangalam Taluk Hospital superintendent for creating ruckus at the hospital and taking the body out of the mortuary.
On Monday, the police had booked the MLAs and Idukki MP Dean Kuriakose for causing a road blockade and showing disrespect to a body. The Kothamangalam police have so far launched three FIRs, booking around 30 Congress workers.
The protesters had taken out Indira’s body from the Taluk Hospital mortuary after pushing aside the police to stage a demonstration. The police later took over the body forcibly and facilitated a postmortem examination after which the mortal remains were handed over to the relatives. Indira was cremated at her residence on Tuesday with hundreds of people in attendance.
Meanwhile, allegations that the body was taken out without the consent of her relatives sparked a controversy. Suresh, her brother, alleged that protesters carried the body for demonstration without consent and he did not agree to the politicisation of the issue.
At the same time, Indira’s husband, Ramakrishnan, downplayed the allegations saying the protests were carried out with the consent of the family. Coming down heavily on the police high-handedness against the Congress leaders, Leader of Opposition Satheesan said the police action was brutal.
“The government is not sparing any opportunity to act against Mathew Kuzhalnadan. He was arrested from the tent. And it was the police who dragged the dead body,” he said in Aluva. Kuzhalnadan demanded a permanent solution to the wild animal attacks.
“How many martyrs are required to open the eyes of the government? Two more sorrowful incidents have come,” he said. The Congress on Monday observed a black day in the district in protest against the police action on the leaders.