The State police have sought punitive action against eight government service organisation leaders suspected to be responsible for the attack on the Treasury branch of the State Bank of India (SBI) next door to the Secretariat on the second day of the national strike by trade unions on January 9.
Sub-Inspector, Cantonment, B.M. Shafi said here on Friday that the police had written to the department heads detailing the involvement of the suspects in the crime for further action. The police had earlier booked the trade union functionaries, all owing allegiance to the Kerala NGO Union, on charges of having damaged public property and indulged in rioting.
The offence carries a punishment of up to five years of imprisonment and fine or both. If found guilty, the suspects run the risk of dismissal from service.
Bail plea rejected
The Judicial First Class Magistrate (JFMC) court here rejected the bail application of the accused. Their lawyers said the accused would move the district court for relief.
The police had relied on “smoking gun” video footage from the bank’s security cameras to identify the accused. Regardless of the massive police presence in the high-security locality, a set of trade unionists had sauntered into the bank, intimidated staff and destroyed office equipment wantonly.
The images, broadcast widely on television, had a salutary effect across Kerala and deterred shops and establishments from opening for business on the day of the general strike.
The police said the suspects had smashed an office computer, manhandled the manager and damaged his official mobile phone and vandalised furniture. They pegged the loss to the public exchequer at ₹1.50 lakh.