Kerala SIT gives clean chit to KSU activists in ex-Minister Veena George attack case

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 3
In a major development in the alleged attack on former Kerala Health Minister Veena George, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Tuesday informed the court that none of the charges against the five KSU activists involved in the case can be sustained.

SIT head U. Preman submitted the final report before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Kannur, stating that the activists had not committed any of the offences mentioned in the charge sheet.

The report says charges of rioting and trespassing into the railway premises will not stand.

It also makes it clear that the protesters did not obstruct the police from performing their official duties.

A black-flag protest, the SIT says, does not amount to a criminal offence.

The latest report marks a significant turn in the case, which had attracted considerable political attention after the police invoked serious charges, including attempt to murder, against the five Kerala Students' Union (KSU) activists.

The SIT has found that the activists did not attack Veena George.

It has also said that the protesters never managed to reach her during the demonstration at Kannur railway station, early this year.

The alleged assault charge could not be established after the former minister's gunman, Abhilash, changed his statement before the investigating team.

He told the SIT that he had not seen the protesters attempting to attack Veena George.

The original case was based largely on his statement that the protesters had attempted to assault the minister using weapons.

However, the SIT could not recover the weapons allegedly used in the incident.

The investigation found that what took place was a scuffle between the KSU activists and the police.

The team had earlier submitted a report to the Director General of Police (DGP), pointing out that the protest had been exaggerated and that the activists had not reached the former minister.

The gunman also reportedly told the SIT that he had given a false statement at Veena George's direction.

This disclosure had raised questions over the original version of the incident.

The latest report before the court now places the entire case in a different light, with the SIT concluding that the protesters cannot be prosecuted for the offences originally alleged against them.

The case had become a major political controversy, with the Congress and the CPI(M) taking sharply opposing positions over the incident.

The CPI (M), as soon as the incident occurred in February, staged protest marches as elections were round the corner.