On Wednesday (February 12, 2025), the ruling front and Opposition duelled in the Assembly over State law enforcement’s alleged failure to protect the life and property of citizens.
Barbed exchanges between members on either side of the aisle marked the Zero Hour debate, culminating in an Opposition walkout.
Moving a rule 50 notice seeking the Assembly’s consent for an adjournment debate on the State’s “deteriorating” law and order situation, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) legislator N. Shamsudeen focused on the recent double murder at Nenmara in Palakkad and a police patrol party’s “wanton” lathi-charge against a wedding party in Pathanamthitta.
Mr. Shamshudeen said the Nenmara police remained unmoved despite Chenthamarakshan, a 2019 murder case suspect, brazenly violated bail conditions to return to kill the husband and mother-in-law of his victim, Sujatha.
He alleged that the police dismissed the Sujatha family’s sense of fear and insecurity, including petitions from her two minor girl children and neighbours, precipitated by Chenthamarakshan’s “armed presence” in the community.
Mr. Shamshudeen said the police could have pre-empted the murders that rendered the children orphans if they had arrested Chenthamarakshan for violating bail conditions by returning to Nenmara.
Mr. Shamshudeen also lambasted the police for unleashing a vicious lathi charge against a wedding party, including women, in Pathanamthitta when they stepped out of their vehicle to drop off a relative.
He also spotlighted the case of a police officer detaining an 82-year-old “alms-seeking” woman in the latter’s house for her money, an act Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan later condemned as “heinous”.
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan alleged that the police colluded with criminals backed by the ruling party. He claimed that the police intentionally mishandled the cocaine seizure case involving celebrities in Kochi to shield the accused.
He noted that the conviction rate in drug cases had fallen to 10%, contradicting Excise Minister M.B. Rajesh’s assertions. Mr. Satheesan claimed that sordid tales of police officers cavorting with gangsters dominated news headlines regularly and drug-impaired crimes were on an upward spiral.
Mr. Vijayan denied the opposition’s accusation that a conspiracy of silence surrounded law enforcement’s unlawful actions.
“The government has initiated prosecution against the errant officers in Nenmara and Pathanamthitta”, he added.
Mr. Vijayan mooted a discussion in the Assembly about the pros and cons of empowering the police to arrest bail condition violators. “Currently, the police could only report bail condition violations to the court”, he added.
He slammed the Opposition for generalising about the police as a delinquent, law-breaking, and corrupt force. “Criminality prevalent in society might creep into the police. But the government would bring such errant officers to book”, he added. Mr. Vijayan credited the police for solving crimes, detecting cold cases and unsolved murders and maintaining public peace.
Published - February 12, 2025 01:07 pm IST
