Congress Leader Anil Kumar Arrested For Blocking Kerala CM Satheesan's Convoy In Thiruvananthapuram

Congress leader Anil Kumar, also known as Chenthi Ani, was arrested after police registered a case over the alleged obstruction of Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan's convoy in Thiruvananthapuram, officials said Saturday.

The Thiruvananthapuram District Congress Committee (DCC) leader was taken into custody late Friday night after the incident occurred while Satheesan was travelling to Chempazhanthy for a programme marking the birth anniversary of social reformer Sree Narayana Guru, news agency PTI reported.

According to police, a group organising another Sree Narayana Guru event at Chenthi signalled the chief minister's vehicle to stop as the convoy was passing through the area. Satheesan got out of the vehicle following their request and was seen in television visuals arguing with Ani.

After remaining at the location for a few minutes, the chief minister returned to his vehicle and continued his journey. Police said the Chenthi event was not part of Satheesan's official schedule. Ani was initially taken to Sreekaryam police station, where the case was registered following his detention.

His arrest was subsequently recorded after questioning. Police booked him and others under Sections 126(2), 351(2) and 132 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), dealing with wrongful restraint, criminal intimidation and assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from carrying out official duties.

The FIR was based on the statement of a police officer who was deployed for route-clearing duties. According to the FIR, the chief minister's vehicle stopped at around 5.55 pm after Satheesan noticed senior Congress leaders gathered at Chenthi and interacted with them.

"The accused allegedly confronted the chief minister in an aggressive manner and loudly questioned him as to why he was not attending the event despite it being an accepted programme. When asked to refrain from being aggressive, the accused allegedly threatened, What will you do if I get angry?, thereby publicly insulting the CM and obstructing the official duties of police personnel accompanying the convoy," the FIR said.

Ani is expected to be produced before a court as part of the remand process. Police are examining the involvement of other people who were present during the incident using videos recorded at the scene. The incident took place as Satheesan was heading to Chempazhanthy for an event commemorating the birth anniversary of Sree Narayana Guru.

Separately, organisers at Chenthi had arranged another programme related to the social reformer's anniversary. Following the incident, the organisers, including Congress workers, released a photograph showing themselves meeting Satheesan at the Secretariat a few months earlier to invite him to their Chenthi event.

They also told reporters that police officials had visited the venue on Thursday and advised them about the number of people who could be seated on the stage.