THIRUVANANTHAPURAM/KANNUR: Not just goons, but even those bankrolling and supporting them will face action.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala made the sweeping declaration while speaking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, shortly after the arrest of habitual offender Arjun Ayanki from Kannur for alleged defamation and other charges.
“Kerala is not a paradise for goons. There will be strict action against those who willfully create trouble, whoever they be. Action will be taken against goons as well as those who bankroll and support them. Action will be taken against criminal gangs operating from Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram,” he said.
After two days of intense search, Ayanki, 29, was nabbed by a special investigation team from his hideout, an apartment at Thalikavu near Kannur town, around 2.30am on Sunday following a tip-off from an autorickshaw driver. He tried to flee, but was apprehended. The police produced Ayanki before the Kuthuparamba Magistrate Court, which sent him to judicial custody. He was then shifted to Thalassery sub-jail.
M K Hassan, Ayanki’s lawyer, said he did not seek bail as there are several other cases registered against him. “Even if he secures bail in today’s case, police may arrest him in the other cases. It will be better to seek bail in those cases,” he said.
A 10-member special squad had launched a manhunt for Ayanki following his Facebook post on August 7 in which he openly challenged Chennithala to order a reinvestigation into a case against him and dared the police to act. The Kannur City Cyber police station had registered a case against him on a complaint filed by Kannur DCC president Martin George.
When contacted, Kannur range DIG K Karthick said all officials worked with sincerity to arrest the accused who had challenged the entire system.
“We will investigate those who knowingly helped him hide or provided him with support, and appropriate legal action will be taken against them.”
Challenging police akin to challenging society: ADGP
The DIG said in the case of an accused facing multiple criminal cases, we will examine the conditions of bail granted in the earlier cases and check for violations.
“If any are found, we will move for cancellation of the bail. We will, through a report, also recommend invoking KAAPA provisions against the accused and take necessary steps to ensure that the trial is completed as quickly as possible,” Karthick said.
P Vijayan, the Kannur ADGP, said, “Police are part of society; challenging the police amounts to challenging society. We are also tracing those who liked and commented on his social media posts. Though Arjun kept changing his location, we kept tracking him. We had clear directives from the home minister to follow all legal procedures and to ensure that there were no human rights violations,” he said.
He also added that the police never issued any order to shoot Ayanki.
Charges invoked
Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Section 192: Wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot; 296(b): Punishes any person who sings, recites, or utters obscene songs, ballads, or words in or near a public place to the annoyance of others; BNS 351(2): Punishes simple criminal intimidation; BNS 356(2): Punishment for criminal defamation (All bailable)
BNS 353(1)(b): Making or circulating false information and rumors via electronic means to cause public mischief (non-bailable)
