Electronic store staff booked for assaulting Thripunithura municipal officials

The Thripunithura police have booked the staff of a shop near Statue Junction on the charge of obstructing a team of officials of the Thripunithura Municipality who were out to remove unauthorised advertisement boards, banners, festoons, and hoardings, in compliance with a High Court order, on December 16.

Municipal secretary Subhash P.K. alleged that the staff assaulted the officials, verbally abused them, and prevented them from discharging their duties. The police registered the case on a complaint by a senior woman health inspector in the team.

According to the first information report (FIR), the officials had removed an illegally mounted board of the store when the staff assaulted and verbally abused them. The FIR, however, did not have identities of the accused who were yet to be arrested.

“We have identified two employees of the store as the accused,” said police sources. The accused have been booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 132 (assaulting or using criminal force against a public servant while they are performing their duties), 296(b) (obscene acts and songs in public places), and 3(5) (joint criminal liability when two or more people act with a common intention to commit a criminal act).

Meanwhile, the secretary of the Kochi Corporation has issued a statement warning of a penal fine of ₹5,000 for each unauthorised banner, flag, or hoardings mounted in violation of the High Court order and a related government circular. Besides, police cases will also be registered against the offenders. The secretary further claimed that all illegal hoardings and banners within the Corporation limits had been removed.

The High Court had earlier this month directed the secretaries of local self-government institutions to ensure that all unauthorised flags and boards erected on public places and streets were removed within 10 days.

The court made it clear that they would be made personally responsible for not removing the boards and flags, and the court would be compelled to collect fines from them. It observed that it was the role of the police to identify those who had erected illegal boards in public places. If they did not do it, it was time to take action against police officers.

The court added that it had declared that any boards or banners or hoardings which did not have information about the printer should be construed as illegal, and that necessary action should be taken against the persons or entities who installed them after identifying them.

Published - December 16, 2024 09:17 pm IST