Congress Leader Blocks Kerala Chief Minister's Convoy, Argues With Him

A Congress leader has been detained after he blocked his party colleague and Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan's convoy while he was on his way to attend an event in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday.

A video shows a group of people stopping Satheesan's convoy, which was on its way to Chempazhanthy to attend an event marking the birth anniversary of social reformer Sree Narayana Guru. The group had also organised a Sree Narayana Guru event at Chenthi and wanted Satheesan to attend the function.

After about 30 seconds, Satheesan stepped out of the vehicle and was seen speaking to Anil Kumar, a Thiruvananthapuram District Congress Committee (DCC) leader. The two were then seen engaging in a heated exchange. A few minutes later, Satheesan returned to his vehicle and left.

Satheesan's office maintained that the Chenthi event was not part of his official schedule.

The police registered a case against Kumar, alias Chenthi Ani, under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including wrongful restraint, criminal intimidation and use of force to obstruct a public servant from discharging official duties.

"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.

Kumar, however, denied blocking the chief minister's vehicle and criticised Satheesan's conduct during the confrontation, saying he behaved like "college students fighting".

"It is part of the party's group politics. Groupism is the problem," he told reporters when he was taken to hospital for a medical examination.

The organisers of the Chenthi event, including Congress workers, later also released a photograph of themselves meeting Satheesan a few months back at the Secretariat to invite him to the functions.

DCC member Suhail Shajahan also expressed his protest against the arrest.

"Regardless of which group or faction they belong to, as a person, I am personally saddened to see a Congress worker like Anil, who risked his life for the party and worked tirelessly for it, get arrested in this manner," he told reporters after meeting him at the Sreekaryam police station.

He said he did not see Kumar behaving disrespectfully towards the chief minister.

Shajahan also denied that Kumar and his supporters had blocked Satheesan's vehicle.

"No vehicles were blocked. They came to welcome the chief minister. Thousands of workers were there, including women. Everyone was left disappointed," he said.