Kerala in-flight protest: Court asks police to book LDF convener, CM’s guards
The court order came after two Youth Congress workers, who staged a protest against chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on-board a flight on June 13, alleged manhandling by LDF convener EP Jayarajan and two security officers of the CM
A court in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday ordered the Kerala police to register a case against ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) convener E P Jayarayan for manhandling two Youth Congress workers who raised slogans against chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on-board a flight on June 13.
The chief judicial magistrate court also asked the police to book two security officers of the chief minister. Judge Leni Thomas ordered that all charges registered against the two Youth Congress workers should also be slapped on Jayarajan and the two security officers, Anil Kumar and V M Suneesh.
The order came on a petition filed by the two Youth Congress workers who staged a protest in the aircraft.
Two days ago, Indigo Airlines placed Jayarajan on a three- week no-fly ban list, while the Youth Congress workers got a two-week ban. Though the two activists filed complaints, the police allegedly refused to file a case against Jayarajan and the security officers. The Youth Congress activists alleged that Jayarajan and security officers assaulted them badly and claimed that they were taken out of the airport on wheel chairs.
On Tuesday, the chief minister dismissed the Opposition’s demand seeking legal action against Jayarajan in the assembly saying, in fact he protected them from angry protestors. He also said the order of the internal probe committee of the airlines was one-sided and it was an ex-parte decision.
The Indigo Airlines, which investigated the incident under the aviation rules for “unruly flyer” norms, reportedly found that all three behaved unruly on board. The report said the cabin crew tried to pacify the two Youth Congress workers who allegedly raised slogans but situation aggravated after the duo was pushed aside by another traveller, Jayarajan, who the airlines said committed a level-2 offence. Jayarajan lashed out at the airlines and vowed that he and his family members will not take its flight.
Reacting to the court order, Jayarajan said the court has every right to take such a decision. “It was not a setback, it was only a legal procedure,” he said in Kannur.
Opposition leader V D Satheesan said it was another slap on the face of the government.
The in-flight drama unfolded on June 13 on a Kannur-Thiruvananthapuram flight of the Indigo Airlines. As soon as the flight reached the state capital, the two Youth Congress workers raised slogans but they were overpowered and de-boarded. The duo was slapped with attempt to murder and other charges but they got bail after 10 days.
The ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), said it was “a terror act” but the Congress defended party workers saying “it was only a symbolic protest.” The incident triggered widespread protests and more than 30 Congress offices including the party headquarters in the state capital were vandalised.
