The attack on Malayalam actor Joju George's car during a Congress protest in Kochi against fuel price hike yesterday resonated in the State Assembly on Tuesday with ruling CPI(M) and opposition Congress trading charges against each other even as the police acted swiftly by arresting a man allegedly involved in the incident.
When the ruling CPI(M) raised the issue during the zero hour in the State Assembly, the opposition Congress reacted sharply saying they should not be taught by the Left party on how to stage an agitation. The Congress said let the people judge for what the strike had been organised.
During his speech on the notice for adjournment motion moved by the Congress-UDF on fuel price hike, Finance Minister K N Balagopal, apparently referring to the incident, accused the opposition party of blocking roads, damaging vehicles and unleashing false propaganda on the issue.
When the Congress members protested, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan intervened and said the party leadership should introspect whether it was appropriate for KPCC chief K Sudhakaran to call a person like Joju, a leading artist and known figure in the public domain, a drunkard.
Irked over the remarks, Leader of Opposition in the House, V D Satheesan said it was "your police" who had passed the information to the protesting party workers that he was drunk.
The CM should probe the matter and he has all the supporting systems to carry out such an investigation, the opposition leader said.
He also said they should not be taught on how to carry out an agitation.
"Let the people judge for what the agitation had been carried out. Joju was not beaten up (by the party workers)," he said.
Taking a dig at the Marxist party, Satheesan sought to know what would be their reaction if a person would approach an agitation organised by them angrily, scolding the protesting party workers.
The protest against the hike in fuel price by the Congress's Ernakulam district committee on Monday had put the party in a spot after George questioned the blocking of a busy National Highway by the agitators which resulted in an attack on his car, triggering an outpouring of support for the actor from the film industry and the DYFI.
Sudhakaran had termed Joju's act of questioning the protestors as "goondaism."
Meanwhile, police said eight culprits allegedly involved in the attack have been identified and one Congress worker, namely Joseph, has been taken into custody after examining the video footage of the incident.
"We have identified eight persons including former Kochi Mayor Tony Chammany and one person has been taken into custody for vandalising the car of the actor," a Kochi city police officer told PTI.
Police also have registered a case against several Congress workers and leaders including prominent Congress district leaders including the district chief Mohammed Shiyas for blocking the road as part of their protest.
As the police intensified its efforts to nab the accused involved in the incident, KPCC chief Sudhakaran accused the force of serving the interests of Chief Minister Vijayan.
He alleged that the police was engaged in pleasing those in power and with their support it was cracking down on the opposition party workers and trapping them in false cases.
Sudhakaran alleged that the police have registered cases against Congress Working President Kodikkunnil Suresh, MP, Vice-Presidents VJ Paulose, VP Sajeendran, General Secretary Deepti Mary Varghese, party's Ernakulam district leaders Shias and Chammany.
He alleged that the Chief Minister's move was to jail them and it was kind of playing with fire.
The KPCC president said the people were witness to the actions of the actor at the protest venue and alleged that the police did not take any action against him instead it was jailing the leaders who fought against fuel price hike.
Earlier in the day, Kochi City police commissioner C H Nagaraju said a non-bailable case has been registered in the matter of vandalising the car of actor George.
Nagaraju said the visuals of Monday's incidents are being examined and arrests would be made soon.
"As part of yesterday's blockade, we have registered two cases. One for blocking the traffic and the second case for vandalising the car of one Joju George. The second case is a non-bailable one and we have started identifying the culprits. Strong action will be taken against them. We will arrest them soon. We have examined the visuals and have started identifying the culprits," he told the media.
When asked about the complaint filed against the actor by a group of Mahila Congress activists alleging that he abused the women workers, the Commissioner said the police is conducting a preliminary enquiry.
"A case will be registered only after a preliminary enquiry. Prima facie, we understand that the complaint is not true as there is no corroborative evidence in that matter. However, we will examine the visuals properly," the commissioner said.
The film fraternity and the DYFI, the youth organisation of the ruling CPI(M), came out in support of the actor. Police, after considering the actor's medical test report, said he was not drunk as alleged by the Congress leaders.
