Congress on Thursday alleged a political conspiracy in the mysterious disappearance of the memory card of the CCTV camera on board the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus involved in the tiff between Thiruvananthapuram Mayor Arya Rajendran and the bus driver H.L. Yadhu.
While the Opposition continued to mount pressure on the Mayor and her husband K.M. Sachin Dev, MLA, for their alleged roles in the altercation, the alleged refusal of the Thiruvananthapuram City police in registering a case on a complaint by Mr. Yadhu has also come under the scanner.
Alleging serious lapses on the part of KSRTC and the police, Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan alleged that the memory card could have been deliberately removed and destroyed, fearing the crucial piece of evidence could weaken the Mayor’s case.
Obstructing bus
He also came down heavily on the KSRTC, faulting the public utility for not initiating legal action against the Mayor and the others for obstructing the bus and forcing around 15 passengers to disembark before reaching their destination.
“No complaint has been lodged with the police for the enforced suspension of the trip. Would a similar approach be adopted if a common man behaves in such a manner,” he asked.
Kovalam MLA M. Vincent, who is also the working president of Congress-aligned Transport Democratic Federation, accused the police of flouting Supreme Court guidelines and provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) by refusing to register a case against the Mayor on the driver’s complaint.
“The police’s stance makes one wonder if a Communist Penal Code is applicable for Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders caught on the wrong side of the law. The circumstances leading to the disappearance of the memory card have cast doubts on the true intentions of the police,” he told media persons.
Mr. Vincent added that Congress would provide Mr. Yadhu the necessary legal support if the police do not book the Mayor, the MLA, and the others involved in the incident.
Alleges duplicity
Bharatiya Janata Party president K. Surendran also demanded a case be registered against Ms. Rajendran and the others without further ado. He alleged the government of duplicity by soft-pedalling the driver’s demand for justice, even while expediting legal steps on the Mayor’s complaint.
Kerala State Human Rights Commission has ordered a probe into Mr. Yadhu’s complaint, seeking legal action against the Mayor for disrupting his official responsibilities, and the Cantonment station house officer who have purportedly refused to register a case.
Commission acting-chairperson K. Byjunath directed the District Police Chief (Thiruvananthapuram City) and the KSRTC managing director to submit their reports within a week. The case will be heard on May 9.
Democratic Youth Federation of India all-India president A.A. Rahim, MP, refuted claims that Mr. Dev had forced the passengers to disembark the bus. He, however, appeared to inadvertently admit that the MLA had entered the bus “and demanded a ticket to take the bus to the Central bus depot.” The Mayor had earlier denied claims that they had entered the bus.
Mr. Rahim asserted the Mayor and those who accompanied her had not taken the law into their own hands, but promptly reported an offence by alerting the police of the driver’s conduct.
He was also critical of the alleged instances of cyber bullying targeting the Mayor in light of the controversy. The City police have registered two cases in connection with such social media posts.
Meanwhile, forensic experts collected evidence from the KSRTC bus as part of the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of the memory card.
