Public meetings on roads in T’puram: City police ex-chief tenders unconditional apology to HC

Kochi: G Sparjan Kumar, the former Thiruvananthapuram city police commissioner, has tendered an unconditional apology to the high court for failing to prevent the public meeting held at Vanchiyoor during the CPM Palayam area conference, and the 36-hour hunger strike organized by the Joint Council of State Service Organisations in front of the Secretariat — both of which encroached upon public roads.
Kumar, the then commissioner, submitted an affidavit in response to a contempt case filed by N Prakash of Maradu in Ernakulam, who sought action against officials and organizers of various events, including protests held on public roads in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. Prakash alleged that erecting a stage on a public road for the CPM area conference on Dec 5, thereby disrupting traffic, violated a 2010 high court judgment prohibiting public meetings and protests on public roads and their margins. He also cited the 36-hour day-and-night hunger strike held in front of the Secretariat on Dec 10, 2024, under the banner of the Joint Council of State Service Organisations, which encroached upon the public road.
In his affidavit, Kumar stated that forcibly removing the illegal stage at the time could have led to serious law and order issues in the city, as a large number of CPM activists had arrived on the same day to participate in the Raj Bhavan march organized by the LDF, protesting the alleged lackadaisical attitude of the central govt in granting financial aid for rehabilitating Wayanad landslide victims. However, a case was registered against 500 identifiable persons and 67 named accused, including the secretary of the Palayam area committee and its members. As part of the investigation, notices were issued to 45 identified accused persons, and 22 arrests were recorded on Dec 10 and 16, 2024, the former commissioner added.
Additionally, he informed the court that a case was registered against 10 office bearers of the Joint Council and 150 identifiable persons for organizing the hunger strike in front of the Secretariat.
Previously, Kochi city police commissioner Putta Vimaladitya had also tendered an unconditional apology to the high court in the same contempt case, as he was accused of failing to prevent a dharna led by Congress leaders in front of the Kochi municipal corporation office, which encroached upon the road and footpath.