Case registered against KU Jenish Kumar MLA for forcefully taking away person from Forest officials' custody

KONNI: A case has been registered against Konni MLA Adv. K.U. Jenish Kumar in connection with the incident where he forcefully released a man from the custody of the Forest officials. The action was based on a complaint filed by forest department staff alleging obstruction of official duties.

The charges include threats and obstruction of duty — offences that can carry a prison sentence of up to two years. The MLA had forcibly released a Tamil Nadu native who had been taken into custody by forest officials in connection with the electrocution death of a wild elephant.

Earlier, visuals had emerged showing the MLA confronting forest officials and questioning them angrily, asking, “What kind of nonsense is this?” The MLA was reportedly provoked by what he alleged was a false case. The release occurred while officials were in the process of interrogating the suspect and preparing a report.

The MLA arrived at the forest station along with Konni DySP Rajappan Rawther and several local residents. He demanded that the forest officials produce documents related to the detention. The incident traces back to the previous Saturday, when a wild elephant died of an electric shock in Kulathummannu. The man detained was Raju, a native of Tamil Nadu residing in Vayakkara, Konni, who was assisting the owner of a pineapple plantation near the area where the elephant was found dead. Authorities discovered that excess electricity had been illegally routed through the solar fence at the border of the plantation, which led to the elephant’s death.