In a recent development, Edavanna police have apprehended five individuals, including CPM Edavanna secretary, in connection with an alleged case of moral policing that occurred on July 13. Among those arrested were CPM area secretary Jafar Mollangotan and Edavanna panchayat member Jaseel Malangadan. However, all the accused were subsequently released on station bail.
The incident leading to the arrests unfolded at the Edavanna bus stand last Thursday. Acting on the complaint of a college student and her brother, who claimed to have been assaulted by the accused, the police took action, treating it as a case of moral policing.
According to Shimla, the sister of the victims, her brother and his friends were attacked by a mob, which included area CPM leaders, after they confronted an individual who had taken their photograph without consent using his mobile phone. The siblings were waiting at the bus stand to catch a bus to their destination, Othayi.
Following the incident, a flex board was erected that explicitly warned students against gathering at the bus stand after 5 pm. The board, put up by the ‘Edavanna Janakeeya Koottayma,’ threatened that any students found on the premises after the designated time would be subjected to physical assault. In response, another board was raised by ‘Vidyarthi Paksham Edavanna,’ questioning the legality of the earlier board.
The arrested individuals face charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Kerala Police Act (KPA), including insulting the modesty of women, voluntarily causing hurt, and the section related to capturing or propagating photographs or videos that violate the reasonable privacy of women.
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