Chief Minister, who also holds the Home department, has given his party men a free reign over police, he alleges
Chief Minister, who also holds the Home department, has given his party men a free reign over police, he alleges
Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan on Friday accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of rendering the force ineffective.
Talking to mediapersons in Kochi, Mr. Satheeshan said even a case regarding the theft of mangoes involving a policeman was being settled without trial. Chief Minister, who also holds the Home department, had given his party men a free reign over police, he said.
Mr. Satheesan accused that instead of DIG or IG, an officer of the rank of Superintendent was being controlled by a CPI(M) district secretary while the Station House Officer (SHO) was in the control of area secretary.
The situation had reached such proportions that an SHO defying the orders of an area secretary would be shunted out. Police officers remained accountable to the party, and the CPI(M) workers were hand-in-glove with even drug mafia while the police remained mute spectators. Even goonda gangs were flourishing under the protection of CPI(M) leaders. The government had created an atmosphere for the police to run amok and police stations remained out-of-bound to the public, he said.
Mr. Satheesan also recalled the incident in which a Kargil war veteran was roughed up by a DYFI leader and the police commissioner who took action was threatened by a CPI(M) district secretary. There were instances when one would wonder where the Home Minister was, he said, adding police would remain meek in a State where party district secretaries were free to threaten the force.
Mr. Satheesan also accused the government of conniving to sabotage the appointment of Vice Chancellor of Kerala University by not assigning a Senate representative to the search committee constituted by the Governor in his capacity as Chancellor. The higher education sector in Kerala was being ruined unlike in any other State.
The Supreme Court verdict cancelling the appointment of Vice Chancellor of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University was a slap against the government’s nepotism and procedural violations, Mr. Satheesan said.
