The Hindu : Kerala News : Attack on Congress leaders: accused remanded

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Thursday, Jun 10, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Attack on Congress leaders: accused remanded

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JUNE 9. The 24-year-old youth, Nikhil alias `Nigul', who was arrested in connection with the attack on the Congress leaders, T. Saratchandra Prasad and Rajmohan Unnithan, was today produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate court-III and remanded to judicial custody till June 23.

The charges against him include attempt to murder, conspiracy, unlawful assembly, destruction of property under Sections 120 (b), 143, 147,148, 149, 342, 307 and 427 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The police questioned him for several hours at the Museum police station before recording his statement, an official said. Mr. Nikhil, who was arrested from his house at Pothencode in the early hours of Tuesday, was produced before the court at around 4 p.m.

Meanwhile, the police probing the attack on the two leaders at the venue of the KPCC executive meeting on June 2, today searched certain houses and lodges in Muttathara, Paruthikuzhy, Poonthura, Kallattumukku, Kazhakkoottam and Thumba areas in the district. However, no one has been arrested in connection with the raids, an official said.

A large number of plainclothesmen were deployed on the premises of the district court complex at Vanchiyoor following rumours that some of the persons named as accused in the case would be surrendering before the magistrate court there.

Meanwhile, the police said they received more information about the `role' of a powerful factional leader of the Congress in `organising' the violence in front of the Priyadarshini Planetarium on June 2. The police are verifying the statement given by Nikhil that he, along with some other accused, had gone to Government guesthouse at Thycaud immediately after the attack in front of the planetarium.

The police said that two persons, recently identified as Rana and Rajeev of Chirayankeezhu, are also suspected of having participated in the violence. The police are also looking for one `Perinkuzhy' Santhosh in connection with the case. Official sources said that organisers of the June 2 violence consulted some criminal gang leaders at Puthenpalam and Sreekanteswaram in the city. Their alleged role in the incident was also under scrutiny.

The police suspect that five members of a Kollam-based criminal gang had also played a role in the entire episode. The arrest of Vandanoor Santosh, Vinod Krishna, H. P. Shaji, Jaleel of Kazhakottam and `Ulloor' Sivaprakash would shed more light in the case. The police are also searching for one `Pick-up' Shibu, Kunjumon, `Channankara' Hussein, `Kovalam' Pradeep Kumar in connection with the case. The progress and direction of the case would depend on what these persons have to tell the investigators.

The police would question the senior Congress leaders, including K. Muraleedharan, named in the First Information Report (FIR) filed on the basis of Mr. Saratchandra Prasad's complaint only after thoroughly verifying the role of the other persons named as accused in the case, an official said.

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