Thiruvananthapuram: BJP councillors moved a resolution seeking support from all councillors to withdraw the case against three BJP councillors, in connection with the violence related to the hartal. They said that the cases were false, and alleged that the council was politically biased in its response to the issue. Cases have been charged against councillors Karamana Ajith and R Mini, as well as Tax Appeal Standing Committee Chairperson Simi Jeothish under IPC 307, attempt to murder.
The council eventually dismissed the resolution with Mayor V K Prasanth saying that it was the police’s and court’s responsibility to decide whether these were false cases. Nemom councillor M R Gopan said that the case charged against Ajith, for damaging an ambulance at Pazhavangady area, was false. He claimed that at the time the ambulance was destroyed, Ajith was in a meeting with the Karamana CI at the police station.
The resolution was moved by BJP councillor Beena R C. The text she read out was framed to suggest a gender bias, as she said there was discrimination against women councillors even though they constituted over 50 percent of the council. She said that earlier BJP councillor Lakshmi’s office was damaged by political enemies.
When violence erupted in Sreevaraham, Simi Jyothish and R Mini had rushed to the spot, and later a case was charged against them, according to Beena. Simi and Mini, though present, did not speak. UDF councillors Johnson Joseph, D Anilkumar andBeemapalli Rasheed condemned the incident. However when the matter was put to vote, the UDF did not support and the resolution was dismissed.
