In an unexpected turn of events surrounding the PFI attack incident in Kollam district, both a soldier named Shine and his friend Joshy have been apprehended by the police on charges of lodging a false complaint alleging an assault by Popular Front of India (PFI) activists.
During the course of their interrogation, Joshy revealed that Shine had concocted the fake complaint for the sake of gaining attention. Both Shine and Joshy are currently under police custody.
Officer at the Kadakkal police station stated, “We have recovered the paint which was used to mark the letters ‘PFI’ on Shine’s back. Both Shine and Joshy are being questioned by the Rural SP.”
Doubts regarding the validity of Shine’s assault complaint arose as there were no visible signs of the alleged incident at the reported scene. Initially, a case had been registered against six individuals based on Shine’s complaint, but he gave conflicting statements about the incident. The officer added, “Shine had initially claimed that he was waylaid by PFI activists while he was returning home after repaying some money borrowed from a friend named Joshy. We subsequently interrogated Joshy, and he spilt the beans.”
Shine had presented himself at the Kadakkal police station on Monday to report the supposed attack. He received initial medical attention at Kadakkal Taluk Hospital and was discharged. According to his complaint, the incident purportedly occurred at Mukkada in Chanappara. Shine narrated, “I was supposed to return to my workplace after the end of my leave on Monday. The night before, I had visited a friend to repay some money I had borrowed from him. While riding my bike, I saw a group of people in a remote area. They said that somebody was lying on the ground and asked me whether I knew that person. When I got down from my bike, one man in the group kicked me, while the others rained blows on me. One man took out a shaving blade and tore off my shirt. Then they painted the letters PFI on my bare back.”
The police initiated an investigation, with Deputy Superintendent of Police G D Vijayakumar and Inspector P V Rajesh leading the probe. The forensic team also examined the scene.
Meanwhile, the BJP organized a march to the Kadakkal police station, calling for the arrest of those allegedly responsible for assaulting Shine. The protest was inaugurated by BJP district general secretary Radhakrishnan. J C Anil, the Mandalam secretary of the CPI, also urged for a thorough investigation into the incident.
Subsequently, when the police questioned Shine’s friend, Joshy, a surprising revelation came to light. Joshy admitted to painting the letters ‘PFI’ on Shine’s back as per Shine’s request. He shared, “Initially, I had written ‘DFI’ because it sounded like that. Shine asked me what I had painted, and I told him it was DFI. He said it should be ‘PFI,’ and I corrected the D to P.”
Joshy continued, “Before painting the letters, Shine had asked me to give him some blows. However, I was drunk at that time and couldn’t do that. I told him I wouldn’t be able to thrash him. Shine then said that he would lie down, and I had to pull him along the ground. He was very heavy, and I couldn’t follow this instruction either.”
Joshy revealed, “Shine then took a tape and gagged himself. He also asked me to stick some tape on his hands. Shine said that he would do the rest. We then went our separate ways.” According to Joshy, he believed that these actions would somehow benefit Shine at his workplace.
Shine Kumar, a 35-year-old resident of Kadakkal and a soldier stationed in Rajasthan, initially claimed that he was assaulted by PFI members who allegedly stamped their organization’s name on his back. Shine had returned home on a month’s leave and was scheduled to resume duty on Monday.
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