Police registers case against Vellappally Natesan

Thiruvananthapuram: The Police have registered a case against SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan in Aluwa for promoting communal strife and enmity through his speech in the town while leading the Samatwa Munnetta Yatra.

Mr. Vellappally had remarked that Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had promised Rs. 10 lakh as solatium to the next of kin of autorikshaw driver Noushad because he was a Muslim. Mr. Noushad had died while trying to save two workers who had suffocated to death in a manhole in Kozhikode.

Mr. Nateswan is charged under Section 153 (A) of Indian Penal Code (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) which may attract imprisonment of up to three years, fine or both.

KPCC President V. M. Sudheeran, Opposition Leader V. S. Achuthanandan and others have demanded action over Mr. Natesan’s remark and the Chief Minister had forwarded petitions from Mr. Sudheeran and Member of the Assembly T. N. Pratapan to the Home Secretary Nalini Netto. The opinion of Director General of Prosecution T. Asaf Ali was also sought.

Mr. Chandy told the media that Mr. Natesan’s remarks were highly unfortunate and painful. For one, his criticisms went against facts. Secondly, he was whipping up communal passions that Kerala had never even thought of.

Noushad was not an accident victim, but one who had sacrificed his life to save lives of others. The society had a responsibility to protect the families of such souls.

Listing out help extended to others like him in the past, the Chief Minister said that he had acted without considering caste or religion whenever such incidents had come to his notice. Sakanya of Kannur who lost a leg while saving three children, a driver helped victims of a boat accident in Kottayam and Amawasi Poornachandran, who had lost his hand when he was a child were examples.

Replying to questions, Mr. Chandy said that permission would be granted to Director General of Police Jacob Thomas if he had sought permission from Chief Secretary to file a case against him.

Meanwhile, Meanwhile, Mr. Natesan said that he would fight the case politically and legally. The decision to register a case against him was  political one.

BJP National Executive Member P. K. Krishnadas termed the registering of case against Mr. Natesan as unjust. The march by Mr. Natesan for social equity had perturbed the ruling and Opposition fronts. The two fronts who had worked hard to get extremist Abdul Nasser Maudani out of jail and receive them were now out to hunt for Mr. Natesan. This was the highest form of communal discrimination.