No stone-pelting, bus had passed: SIT report

Kottayam: The SIT probing the assault by police personnel on Youth Congress and Congress workers in Alappuzha during the Navakerala Sadas Yatra has indicated manipulation and suppression of evidence during the earlier investigation by the DSP, crime branch, Alappuzha.

The five accused police personnel, including the gunman of former CM Pinarayi Vijayan, are facing charges over an assault on Youth Congress and Congress workers in Alappuzha.

Visual records examined by the SIT show no stone-pelting or throwing of objects at the KSRTC bus. This is corroborated by Abhilash, the bus driver, who confirmed no pelting occurred. The SIT also examined footage recorded by Jojymon, a cameraman with Jai Hind TV, and Ajas, a restaurant owner at General Hospital junction.

The report notes that the KSRTC bus carrying the then CM had already passed the area without obstruction when the incident occurred. The alleged manhandling lasted approximately 11 seconds, by which time the CM's vehicle had moved several hundred metres ahead, without its close escort team, in violation of Z+ security protocol.

The SIT has accused the officers of abandoning their primary duty of providing proximate security to Vijayan by physically engaging the demonstrators. The accused had stopped their escort vehicle on a public road, halting convoy vehicles behind them, including the attached ambulance and medical support team.

The SIT report says statements recorded during the previous investigation were inconsistent with visual evidence and other contemporaneous materials. The team said it is examining whether records were created, altered, or incorporated into the case file to shield the accused from legal consequences, and whether original records, witness statements, CDs, and electronic materials were suppressed, substituted, or removed.

Former investigating and supervisory officers are being interrogated over their role in the earlier probe and the filing of what the SIT describes as a perfunctory and incorrect refer report before the court.

Meanwhile, the Alappuzha district sessions court, hearing the anticipatory bail plea of the five accused police personnel directed the submission of footage filmed by the police cameraman at the scene, along with forensic examination results of footage already before the court.

Judge Honey M Varghese issued the direction on Wednesday after the defence argued that the assault footage presented by the prosecution was incomplete and sought the full recording. The case was adjourned to Saturday for detailed arguments. The court has ordered that the accused not be arrested in the interim.

When the prosecution said the police photographer's footage was unavailable, the court asked whether it should be assumed the visuals had been destroyed, and said if the footage existed, it must be viewed.

Sharp exchanges followed over the invocation of IPC Section 308. The defence argued the personnel had acted to protect the CM from a threat, and that the prosecution was relying only on post-assault footage. As no serious injuries were sustained, charges including attempt to murder would not stand, the defence contended. The court said whether the charge could be sustained would depend on footage covering the full sequence of events.

The court also questioned the timeline of the medical board report submitted on May 30 morning, which detailed an assault with a weapon. The defence noted the board met only at 4pm that day, while the SIT had already invoked Section 308 that morning, before the weapon was examined. The court asked the SIT why the section was applied in such haste. The case will be taken up on June 6.