Thiruvananthapuram cop attacked by SFI men booked

Thiruvananthapuram: The police officer, who was allegedly assaulted by SFI activists, was also booked in a counter-case with non-bailable charges registered against him and his sister, even as bailable sections were invoked against the activists accused of attacking him.Mithun Roy, a civil police officer attached to the armed reserve (AR) police camp, was allegedly attacked by SFI activists at a mall in the city on Saturday afternoon. The confrontation was said to have stemmed from a dispute linked to an incident during New Year celebrations at Shanghumugham, where Roy allegedly assaulted a DYFI activist.
Roy had arrived at the mall along with his sister when the clash took place. Based on his complaint, Vanchiyoor police registered a case against four SFI activists Revanth, Sajith and two others.However, the activists filed a complaint alleging that Roy assaulted them and demanded that they withdraw a complaint against him submitted to city police commissioner. Subsequently, Pettah police registered a case against Roy and his sister. They were charged under non-bailable sections, including wrongful restraint, use of abusive language, assault and attack using a weapon.In contrast, the case registered by Vanchiyoor police against the SFI activists reportedly included only bailable and comparatively minor sections.Meanwhile, Kerala Police Association (KPA) condemned the attack on the police officer, describing it as a disgrace to democratic and progressive Kerala.In a statement issued on Sunday, KPA general secretary Sudheer Khan A said the incident in Thiruvananthapuram, where a police officer was allegedly followed and attacked for carrying out official duty, was shocking. He said attempts to create anarchy in society must be collectively resisted by the democratic community.The KPA statement alleged that marching to the houses of police officers, circulating photographs of officers and their families on social media to insult them and publicly making derogatory remarks about an officer, who sustained serious injuries during a university march, were all part of such a pattern. It expressed concern that such actions were carried out in the name of a responsible political movement.KPA urged political organisations and civil society to unite in resisting attacks and anti-democratic protests against police officers in the discharge of their duties. It also called upon the department and govt to conduct a proper investigation into Saturday's incident, take strict action against the guilty and ensure a sense of security for officers enforcing the law. The association reiterated that it stood firmly with the police personnel.Meanwhile, opposition leader V D Satheesan questioned the handling of cases relating to attacks on police personnel and alleged that home department and govt machinery in the state were protecting criminals.