Sub-Inspector Vimodh suspended for attack on mediapersons in Kerala

Kozhikode: City Police Commissioner Uma Behera suspended Kozhikode town Sub-Inspector P.M. Vimodh for manhandling, abusing and locking up four mediapersons  in the town police station on Saturday afternoon. The media personnel included Asianet bureau chief Binuraj and  Media One reporter Jayesh Raghavan and crew when they went to bring the Outside Broadcasting (OB) van seized by the police from the district court premises in the morning  after  a conciliatory meeting with  Ms Uma Behera over the issue.

The police headed by Mr Vimodh allegedly pulled in the reporters and also locked them up showering abuses. Soon,  groups of media personnel and political leaders,  including CPM district secretary P. Mohanan, A. Pradeepkumar MLA and  DCC president K.C. Abu rushed to the spot.  Ms  Uma Behera, who had earlier ordered an inquiry removing Mr Vimod from the duties, gave an on-the-spot order suspending the sub-inspector  after discussion with DGP Loknath Behera.   

The media personnel in the morning had staged a protest in front of the town police station to release the colleagues who were taken into custody reportedly as per the verbal orders of the judge. Later,  the court authorities said that there was no direction from the court to arrest or remove the media personnel from the court premises.  

However,  the Calicut Bar Association in a resolution passed in the evening extended support to the police official, saying that his timely intervention had helped in avoiding a law and order situation on the court premises. Bar Association president K.M. Kadiri told Deccan Chronicle that the sub-inspector had asked the channel team to remove the OB van from the court premises which they refused to do leading to the series of issues.

The incidents started around 11 a.m. when the  reporters went to cover the hearing of the controversial ice cream parlour case at the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court.  Claiming that he had the verbal orders of the district judge, sub-inspector Vimodh  pushed out Asianet News bureau chief Binuraj and crew from the court premises and also took  them into custody.

Eyewitnesses said that there was an altercation between the SI  and the reporter over removing the OB van and  the reporter said  the van was parked at the same spot where he had  been parking it whenever he came for reporting. An enraged SI  with the help of policemen took him by force and pushed him into the police vehicle. Later,  the police took the crew along with OB van to the town police station. When the other reporters rushed to the police station,  Mr  Vimodh remained adamant.

Later,  senior police officials, including assistant police commissioner P.K. Raju, reached the spot and decided to let the bureau chief and crew go without charging any cases. The camera seized also was returned. Around 1.30 p.m.,  the media personnel met the  Police Commissioner demanding action against the SI. Ms Behera  ordered an inquiry and also promised to take action against the official in the evening after receiving the report.  “It is improper to take action against an official without an inquiry,”  she said. Believing  the assurance, the  media personnel  dispersed and the Asianet team went back to take the OB van  when the alleged fracas took place.