Budget Day Assembly violence probe in limbo

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: On March 13, 2015, Opposition MLAs had gone on a rampage, vandalising what Governor P Sathasivam called the ‘sanctum sanctorum of democracy’ in their bid to prevent then finance minister K. M. Mani from presenting the budget.

The total loss, besides the stain inflicted on democracy, was estimated to be Rs 2.21 lakh. However, even a year after, the government has not completed the enquiry into the March 13 incident nor has it done anything to recover, or even write off, the damages done to public property.

A probe had been initiated into the Budget Day violence under various sections of the IPC Act and Prevention of Destruction of Public Properties (PDDP) Act after a complaint was lodged by the legislature secretary before the DGP and the Museum station.

"It is pity that no action has been taken by the Government for completion of the enquiry proceedings and for the recovery of the amount," said M T Thomas, member of National Commission for the Protection of Right to Information (NCPRI). It was Mr Thomas' RTI poser that revealed that the investigation had not been completed.

"If the incident had been related to an ordinary citizen, the government would have acted long back," Mr Thomas added. He said that the amount would in all probability written off.

"The ruling party and the opposition work in tandem when it comes to fooling the public in matters which affect them as a breed," he said. The violence had even prompted Governor P Sathasivam to call for appropriate action against those responsible for what he termed "unruly behaviour".

The destruction of the mike unit had caused the biggest loss, of Rs 1.46 lakh. The damage to the Speaker's chair which was thrown down by E P Jayarajan has been estimated at Rs 20,000.