Two cops arrested in connection with custodial death of prisoner in Kerala
Idukki: Two police personnel, including a sub-inspector, were arrested Wednesday in connection with the alleged custodial torture and death of a remand prisoner last month.
The arrests of sub-inspector K A Sabu and civil police officer Sajeev Antony, who were taken into custody Tuesday, were recorded this morning by the Crime Branch, which is investigating the case, police said.
Shortly after his arrest was recorded, Sabu fainted and was shifted to Kottayam Medical College hospital.
Forty nine-year old Rajkumar, who was taken into custody in connection with a financial fraud case on June 12, was allegedly tortured by police personnel at Nedumkandam Police Station for four days following which he died at the Peermedu sub-jail.
The opposition Congress-led UDF had put the LDF government in the dock over the custodial death and had raised the issue in the state Assembly demanding judicial probe.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had assured that the government would not protect any erring policeman involved in the case.
"No one has the right to keep any person in custody illegally or beat them to death. Such people will no longer be there in the state police service," Vijayan had told the state Assembly.
Four police personnel-- including the sub-inspector, assistant sub-inspector and two drivers of Nedumkandam Police Station-- were suspended and eight others transferred in connection with the incident.
Rajkumar's death had triggered widespread criticism of the state police and the home department, headed by the chief minister.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
