Weapons in Kerala college campus; UDF accuses CM of misleading Assembly

Kochi: The alleged seizure of weapons from a city-based college became a major political issue on Saturday with opposition Congress-led UDF accusing Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of "misleading" the Assembly on the matter.

Vijayan had refuted Congress charges in the Assembly on Friday about recovery of weapons from the staff quarters of Maharaja's college.

He had said no arms had been seized and only some construction materials were found by the police.

"The Chief Minister misled the Assembly and society over the issue," senior Congress leader Oommen Chandy said in Kozhikode when asked about media reports that the FIR had mentioned seizure of weapons from the college.

The Chief Minister rejected the charge, saying he had seen the FIR before making statement in the Assembly on the issue.

"I quoted from the FIR", Vijayan said in Alappuzha. The assembly had witnessed heated exchange between ruling LDF and opposition UDF members over the alleged seizure of weapons from the college.

Congress-led UDF members had alleged that the Government Maharaja's College, a known bastion of ruling CPI(M)'s students wing SFI, has become a 'storeroom of arms'.

The opposition had staged a walkout from the Assembly as Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan rejected their demand for an adjournment motion over the issue.

Earlier, moving notice for the motion, P T Thomas (Congress) had said several weapons, including swords and iron rods, had been seized and this should be viewed seriously by the government.