Cong seeks Rs 25L each for jailed KSU men

Kozhikode: Congress has demanded Rs 25 lakh as compensation for the five KSU activists who were jailed for 15 days in connection with the black flag protest against health minister Veena George, citing her statement that no weapon was used against her. Congress leader T O Mohanan said although the case was registered as an alleged attempt to kill using weapons, only after two months did George clarify that no attack took place.Had she said this earlier, the case would have been dismissed at the outset. KSU workers, including those observing a fast during Ramzan, would not have had to spend 15 days in jail, he added. Mohanan alleged that George and speaker A N Shamseer deliberately filed a fake complaint with the intention of having them jailed.Mohanan said there was no visual evidence, either from media footage or CCTV cameras at the railway station, of an assault on George. He pointed out procedural lapses and said although the incident occurred at 3.15pm and the workers were taken into custody immediately, police registered an FIR only by 10.45pm, making the detention illegal. Since George later said she was not injured, the basis for a medico-legal case collapses.He said a case would be filed in HC seeking compensation under public law remedies, similar to those granted in cases like Nambi Narayanan and Tajudeen of Chakkarakkal and that the amount should be recovered from the minister, the gunman and the policemen responsible for the alleged false case.