Kottayam: DYFI leader's selfie has cops face music

Kottayam: District police chief N. Ramachandran has suspended three officers at the Kottayam East station on the report of DySP Zachariah Mathew for allowing a ruling party leader to take a selfie inside the station wearing a sub inspector's cap while in custody. The police also registered a case under Section 171 IPC for deliberately misleading the public by showing the symbols of the police against the DYFI leader in the selfie-row, Thyparampil Midhun alias Ambily, 23.

They had arrested the leader, an accused in 18 criminal cases including three attempted murders, for allegedly attacking BJP leaders in Kumarakom breaking a peace deal, after the BJP intensified protests. He took the selfie wearing the cap of grade SI Anil Kumar and shared it on social networking sites. BJP district president N. Hari released it later. The CPM district secretariat has suspended Midhun following widespread outrage.