CM suspends police information officer for misleading RTI reply

It is unacceptable to claim that no investigation has taken place into the incident that disrupted Pooram festivities, says Sunilkumar

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday suspended the public information officer at the State Police Headquarters for misleadingly replying to a Right to Information (RTI) query about the current stage and progress of the police probe into the alleged conspiracy to scuttle the Thrissur Pooram. 

The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) identified the officer as M.S. Santosh Kumar, Deputy Superintendent of Police, NRI Cell. The officer’s reply that no inquiry was made into the accusation earned criticism from the Congress and the Communist Party of India. Both parties had accused the police of conspiring with the Sangh Parivar leadership to disrupt the festival to aid the BJP in the last Lok Sabha elections by stoking Hindu majoritarian resentment. 

S. Sunil Kumar, CPI leader, former Minister, and Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate from the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency, termed the disclosure appalling. Mr. Sunil Kumar and his Congress rival, K. Muraleedharan, had raised the same accusation. He told reporters in Thrissur that he would bring the issue to the government’s attention. 

Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of misleading the public by announcing an inquiry into the accusations. He said the government had something to hide and could be hand in glove with the BJP in the conspiracy. Mr Muraleedharan also made a comparable accusation in Thrissur. 

Published - September 20, 2024 08:37 pm IST