Kochi: Kochi City deputy commissioner of police Yatish Chandra on Monday, while deposing before the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), denied assaulting women and children who were protesting against the Puthuvype LPG terminal project. Stating that the media is “circulating” edited pictures, the police officer clarified that the cops resorted to using force to remove only male protestors who blocked road near the high court despite issuing warnings multiple times.
Acting SHRC chairperson P. Mohandas had issued a notice asking the DCP to appear before it in connection with a complaint lodged by Manu C. Mathew, chairman of the LPG Terminal Virudha Janakeeya Samara Samithi, alleging that the police assaulted women and children during a protest march to the High Court on June 16, a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Kochi. “The charge that the police dragged protestors through the road is baseless. The agitators were forcefully removed after they even threatened to get into the premises of the High Court. The charges are being raised with a malign intend to put the police establishment in bad light,” he told the commission.
The then state police chief T. P. Senkumar had justified the DCP saying he was only doing his duty to remove the protestors from the road through which the prime minister was scheduled to travel the next day. The commission posted further hearing in the case to August 9 when the DCP has been asked to appear again before it in person.
