A magistrate court in Thiruvananthapuram on January 9 completed hearing arguments for and against releasing Youth Congress (YC) State president Rahul Mamkootathil on bail. It has reserved its orders for later in the day.
A police team from Thiruvananthapuram arrested Mr. Mamkootathil from his residence in Pathanamthitta early in the day in connection with the violence during a Congress protest in front of the Government Secretariat on December 20.
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Later, the Museum police produced him before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court (III) on an array of charges. They arraigned Mr. Mamkootathil on charges of attacking uniformed officers on law and order duty, destroying public property, rioting and unlawful assembly.
The YC had organised the demonstration to spotlight the alleged police-Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) attacks against opposition black flag protestors lining Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s route to Navkerala Sadas venues. The prosecution told the magistrate that Mr. Mamkootathil orchestrated the December 20 violence.
It submitted as evidence police video footage purportedly showing Youth Congress workers attacking law enforcers, smashing the windscreen of a police vehicle, destroying police shields and forcibly freeing a person detained in a law enforcement vehicle.
Also read: Youth Congress protests Mamkootathil’s arrest across Kerala
The prosecution deemed the incident a deliberate attack on the police under the guise of a political demonstration. It pointed out that several YC workers wielded sticks and stones. The State argued that YC workers had sought, in vain, to force the police’s hand to precipitate a law and order situation.
Mr. Mamkootathil’s counsel submitted medical records pertaining to the YC leader’s hospital admission and treatment and termed the police charges “inflated and trumped up”. He said the police had not notified Mr. Mamkootathil of the impending arrest.
The YC leader had not moved for anticipatory bail. Moreover, there was no evidence that Mr. Mamkootathil attacked the police. The YC leader had merely exercised his democratic right to register dissent.
The defence argued that Mr. Mamkootathil was the victim of a political witch-hunt prosecuted by the police at the government’s instance.
