Alappuzha: The Sessions Court in Alappuzha will hear the anticipatory bail pleas of the accused in the Nava Kerala Sadas assault case on Tuesday. The case pertains to the assault on KSU and Youth Congress leaders who protested during the Nava Kerala Yatra conducted when Pinarayi Vijayan was Chief Minister.
The accused had initially sought bail before the Magistrate’s Court. However, after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) added the charge of attempt to commit culpable homicide (IPC Section 308) to the case, they withdrew their bail move and approached the Sessions Court seeking anticipatory bail. Earlier, the case had only included charges related to using abusive language and causing hurt.
The first two accused are S Anilkumar, who served as Pinarayi Vijayan’s gunman, and S Sandeep, a member of the escort team. The additional charge was incorporated through a report submitted by Crime Branch DySP Baiju M Paulose before the Alappuzha Magistrate Court while the accused were preparing to seek bail on Saturday.
As the newly added offence is non-bailable and serious in nature, the Magistrate’s Court lacks the jurisdiction to grant bail. Following the development, the accused refrained from pursuing their applications before the lower court and filed fresh anticipatory bail pleas before the Sessions Court.
In its report opposing the pre-arrest bail applications of Anilkumar and Sandeep, the SIT stated that the alleged actions of the accused, prima facie, violated the security protocol prescribed in the ‘Yellow Book’ governing the protection of Z+ category protectees.
According to the SIT, the convoy carrying the Chief Minister had already moved ahead when members of the permanent escort and security team allegedly assaulted the protesters. The report noted that at around 4.08 pm, when the convoy reached General Hospital Junction in Alappuzha, Ajay Jewel Kuriakose and A D Thomas, now the Alappuzha MLA, approached the specially designed KSRTC bus carrying the Chief Minister while raising “Youth Congress Zindabad” slogans as part of a political protest.
The SIT said police officers stationed at the junction had successfully restrained the protesters and moved them to the roadside without obstructing the movement of the Chief Minister’s vehicle. It maintained that the situation was already under control and that the bus had passed the area without any disruption.
Despite this, the SIT reported that members of the CM’s permanent escort and security team got down from their vehicle carrying lathis and assaulted the protesters, causing injuries to Youth Congress workers as well as police personnel present at the scene. The report further observed that escort officers were assigned to provide close protection to the Chief Minister and were not expected to stop unless the CM’s vehicle itself had halted.
Five, Anilkumar, Sandeep, Vipin, Shyju and Arun, were suspended pending a departmental inquiry into the incident. The SIT was constituted by the UDF government led by Chief Minister V D Satheesan after it assumed office, following demands for a detailed investigation into the incident and the actions of the security personnel involved.
