Malappuram: Independent Kerala legislator P V Anvar was arrested on Sunday for allegedly vandalising the District Forest Office (DFO) following a protest over the death of a tribal man in an elephant attack in this north Kerala district, police said.
A police team reached the MLA's house in Othayi here, took him into custody and recorded his arrest in the night, sources said. Speaking to the media at his residence, Anvar confirmed his arrest, calling it the latest example of "administrative terrorism."
Anvar claimed he was treated like a gangster, with police creating a terror-like situation. "If I had been served a notice, I would have appeared before the police," he stated. The MLA accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of orchestrating the action, saying, "The CM's wish has been fulfilled, and there seems to be no rule of law."
Anvar added that he abides by the law as an MLA, adding, "Otherwise, such actions would never happen, not even if Pinarayi or his forefathers tried." He warned, "They have annihilated many inside jail. If I survive after being imprisoned, I will show what would happen."
Anvar, who represents Nilambur constituency in the state Assembly, recently left the CPI Marxist-led ruling LDF after raising corruption allegations against the Left party, Vijayan and some of his close confidants.
Earlier in the day, Anvar criticised the state government and the forest department over the death of the tribal man Mani, who was trampled by a wild elephant on Saturday evening.
The workers of the Democratic Movement of Kerala (DMK), a collective led by the MLA, staged a protest in front of the forest office alleging negligence by wildlife personnel in addressing man-animal conflicts in the area. Nearly 10 of them trespassed into the North DFO office and vandalised the office room, police said.
Visuals from television showed the DMK workers, purportedly, barging into the forest office raising slogans and pushing away policemen who tried to stop them. Nilambur police booked Anvar and 10 others over the incident under various sections of the BNS and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.
According to the FIR, around 40 people, led by the MLA, staged a sit-in in front of the forest office and 10 among them trespassed into the office of the North DFO later and destroyed articles inside. They were also accused of obstructing public servants by pushing them away and the police personnel who tried to block them, it said.
Soon after a case was filed, a police team reached the MLA's house here to arrest him. At the house, Anvar's followers registered strong protests and raised slogans against Vijayan and the police.
While talking to reporters earlier in the morning, Anvar slammed the state government and the forest department over the death of the tribal man and blamed the lack of effective interventions for his death.
Slamming the forest minister for not visiting the area and consoling Mani's family, Anvar also alleged that the postmortem procedures were deliberately delayed. He called his followers' protest a natural emotional outburst.
"The life of a person has been lost. More lives continue to be in danger. There are no effective interventions or investigations by the forest department. Naturally, there would be protests," the MLA added. Meanwhile, Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala criticised the police for arresting an MLA at midnight.
"There was no justification for arresting an MLA for participating in a protest. This is a serious lapse on the part of the police," he said, terming the act "administrative terrorism." State Forest Minister A K Saseendran defended the arrest, stating it was carried out as per the law. "The police action is lawful and should not be linked to other incidents," he added.
Read More
