The police have arrested Additional Public Prosecutor S. Soloman in connection with the violence involving workers of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Congress at Charumoodu last week.
Mr. Soloman, who is CPI Alappuzha district council member, was later released on station bail. He practises law at the Additional District and Sessions Court-II, Mavelikara.
18 arrested
The Nooranad police said they had so far arrested 18 people following clashes between members of the two political outfits. CPI leader and Bharanikavu block panchayat vice president Sinukhan, District Congress Committee secretary Manoj C. Sekhar, Congress worker and Chunakkara grama panchayat member P.M. Revi were among those held.
T. Manoj, circle inspector, Nooranad said that more arrests would be made in the case.
On May 4, Charumoodu witnessed pitched battles between the members of the two parties over a flagpole installed by the CPI near the Congress party office. The violence, which began around 4.30 p.m. continued for four hours. Activists of both parties entered into a clash and pelted stones at each other. Amidst the ruckus, Congress workers removed the flagpole. Later CPI men attacked the Congress office.
In protest against the attack on its office, the Congress observed a dawn-to-dusk hartal in Bharanikavu block panchayat limits the next day, which was marked by violence. The Congress workers clashed with the police after a protest march organised by the party was blocked by the security personnel when it reached the CPI office at Charumoodu.
The chain of violence had left more than 30 people, including workers of the Congress and the CPI and policemen, injured.
