THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The chief minister and CPM secretariat may have backed the police in the incident involving alleged highhandedness against Mahija but a section of LDF leaders and even CPM leaders are not prepared to give a clean chit to the men in uniform. Fisheries minister J Mercykutty Amma said the police action against Jishnu’s mother could not be justified. She said the police had failed to deal with her protest properly. “They could have adopted a practical approach towards her protest,” she added.
Mercykuttyamma, however, didn’t agree with the view that the chief minister had justified the police. The CPI publicly differed with the CPM stand, accusing the police of crossing their limits. CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran accused a section of police of putting the government on the defensive by gifting an issue against the LDF on a platter, on the eve of crucial Lok Sabha bypoll in Malappuram. Even CPM politburo member M A Baby had questioned the police highhandedness. He had gone to the extent of accusing the police of failing to act as per the LDF police policy.
Many in CPM say that the party and the government should not ignore the public emotion in Jishnu Pronnoy case. Open justification of police in such cases would be interpreted as siding with the oppressor. LDF supporters say the overwhelming support to Mahija and her family in their native place Valayam was writing on the wall. The popular sentiment is in favour of the family which is fighting for justice. Even the local party leaders have expressed solidarity with their struggle. Veteran CPM leader V S Achuthanandan had called up Jishnu’s sister Avishna on Friday to express solidarity with her hunger fast. All these developments point to the growing resentment against police. The left sympathisers and fellow travellers believe that instead of looking at the agitation as Congress-BJP sponsored one; the CPM should deal with it politically and find a solution to the issue.
