The Congress protest in Kothamangalam town on Monday with the mortal remains of the woman killed by an elephant has triggered a political slugfest between the ruling CPI(M) and the opposition Congress.
The Congress reportedly took the body from the mortuary of the Kothamangalam Taluk Hospital in the middle of the inquest despite the presence of the police. The debate was over whether the Congress had done so with the permission of the victim’s family or not. For more than two hours, the Congress, led by MP Dean Kuriakose, MLAs Mathew Kuzhalnadan and Eldhose Kunnappilly, and Ernakulam District Congress Committee president Muhammad Shiyas, staged a protest with the body in Kothamangalam town.
Law Minister P. Rajeeve said the alleged forcible custody of the victim’s body from the mortuary, without the permission of the mourning family members and before the inquest and post-mortem, was unheard of in the history of the State. He made it clear that a case would be registered, including against the people’s representatives.
