The police have begun an investigation into the BJP allegation that an attempt was made on the life of BJP national vice president A.P. Abdullakutty at Randathani near Kottakkal on Thursday night.
Mr. Abdullakutty was involved in a road accident at Randathani when it rained around 10.15 p.m. on Thursday. He was on his way from Kochi to Kannur. The police said that when his car hit another car in the front that had applied brakes, a lorry hit his car from behind. Mr. Abdullakutty’s car was dented badly in the front and the back.
The BJP claimed that the accident that took place in Malappuram district was a deliberate attempt on his life. But police and the local people said that it looked like a natural accident while climbing a slope during the rain. Similar accidents had taken place there before.
Mr. Abdullakutty was reportedly taunted by a few persons at Veliyankode near Ponnani earlier. The police said he had an argument with them. Mr. Abdullakutty said that he had been insulted by those people, and he suspected that the accident consequent to that quarrel was a planned one.
There was a distance of 40 kms from the place where he was taunted to the place where he met with the accident.The lorry involved in the accident belonged to a man from Oorakam. The lorry was returning from Alathur near Tirur via Puthanathani after transporting quarry waste from Vengara for road work.
The police registered two cases, one at Kadampuzha station for accident and the other at Ponnani station for insulting Mr. Abdullakutty. The police seized a surveillance camera recording available at the shop where the BJP leader had the quarrel. However, they could not review the video footage as the password was missing.
District Police Chief U. Abdul Kareem said that they would decode the surveillance camera footage and examine the reported incident.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders such as State president K. Surendran, Malappuram district president Ravi Thelath and Palakkad zone vice president K.K. Surendran demanded action against the guilty. They said BJP men would provide protection for Mr. Abdullakutty.