Closing one's eyes will not make it dark

It appeared that the Alappuzha Crime Branch was mocking the sense of place and time of the entire people of Kerala by giving a clean chit to the Chief Minister's gunman Anilkumar and security officer Sandeep in the incident where leaders of Youth Congress and KSU were brutally beaten with lathis during the Nava Kerala Yathra. The Crime Branch had submitted an investigation report stating that there was no evidence to prove that Youth Congress and KSU were brutally beaten by Anilkumar and Sandeep.

However, Alappuzha Judicial First Class Magistrate Shaanabeegum not only rejected this referral report submitted by the Crime Branch but also ordered a further investigation into the incident. The order reinforces the thought that the judiciary is the sole refuge for ordinary people seeking justice. Needless to say, the Crime Branch's investigation into this incident, which was widely covered by the media in the state, is strange. Even small children can understand that the bad influence of the rulers was reflected in the investigation.

The incident took place near Alappuzha General Hospital on December 15 last year. Anil Kumar and Sandeep, who were in the vehicle following the Nava Kerala bus, brutally beat up the Youth Congress and KSU leaders who protested by raising black flags against the Chief Minister after the local police took them into custody. Luckily the local police officers who tried to stop them were not beaten up! The Chief Minister's stance of describing the manhandling of the protesters as rescue efforts might have enthralled his staff.

Although the visuals of the incident went viral, the investigating officers "found" that no such incident had taken place. These officers are likely to be awarded the Chief Minister's Police Medal very soon. When the victims of the brutal attack gave the pen drive containing visuals of the incident, the police refused to accept it saying that they would rather collect the footage from the cameras installed at the place. The police report also contained another lie that the media workers were not ready to hand over information regarding the incident. Finally, the complainants themselves had to hand over the evidence to the court.

The police are responsible for safeguarding the people of the state. The incident in Alappuzha was a prime example of what can happen when the police force is given too much freedom without proper supervision. The government must now try to ensure that the follow-up investigation proceeds smoothly, so that lawful action, as prescribed by the nation’s laws, can be taken. People are watching everything. The country knows the truth. Simply closing one’s eyes will not make it dark.