Kizhakkambalam, Kochi: The police have booked 164 migrant labourers over the violence in Kizhakkambalam late on Saturday night.
Two separate cases have been registered by the police. One pertains to the attempt to murder police inspector Shan and the second one is regarding the destruction of public property. In the first case there are 51 accused, while 113 persons have been named in the second case.
The police carried out the paperwork late into the Sunday night in order to produce the accused before the court on Monday.
The accused were remanded after first presenting them in the court between 9.30 am and 6.30 pm and later at the magistrate’s house.
Of the arrested, 76 have been remanded to 14 days judicial custody till Monday evening and are taken to different jails in Thrissur and Ernakulam districts. The Police said they would seek judicial custody of the remaining.
Magistrate L Usha sought details from the accused in their native language.
The evidence collection will begin in the next few days.
The Kizhakkambalam area was under police watch even on Monday to prevent any untoward incident or backlash over the Christmas Day violence unleashed by labourers of the Kitex Group.
Eight policemen, including a Circle Inspector, were injured in the violence.
Members of the reserve police and police personnel from the adjoining police stations are camping in the area now.
The central intelligence agencies also arrived at the spot on Sunday and carried out a preliminary probe. They primarily inquired whether labourers from the North-Eastern border states were involved in Saturday’s violent incidents and any role of extremist outfits.
A loss of Rs 12 lakh is estimated in the violence. The vehicles which were completely destroyed and set ablaze were towed away on Monday.
On Monday the company's managing director, Sabu M Jacob said the police have arrested 164 labourers without any evidence. Jacob said the company could identify only 23 accused from CCTV visuals.
“The police have arraigned 164 labourers from different states as accused. Of them, only 13 were engaged in the clash as per CCTV evidence with us. Why have the police jailed the remaining 151 innocent people,” Jacob asked.
Sabu alleged that such a large number of his employees were arrested due to the state government's personal enmity towards him, his company and the Twenty20 organisation, their political outfit.
Kerala Labour Minister V Sivankutty, at a press conference held in Kasaragod, said that a Labour Commission has been appointed and tasked with finding out whether labour laws were being followed by Kitex.
The minister, however, said that this move has nothing to do with the earlier inspections of the company, which had resulted in Kitex withdrawing its Rs 3,500 crore investment from Kerala.
Jacob had withdrawn from a Rs 3,500 crore investment project in the state, alleging harassment by government officials.
Sivankutty also said that the police were also investigating how the law and order situation took a turn for the worse on Saturday night and how the workers dared to attack the officers and burn one of their vehicles.
Jacob has claimed that the workers, who attacked the police, were probably under the influence of some narcotic substance and therefore, they had become "uncontrollable".
He said police should investigate how drugs were brought into the area and added that drug trafficking was a major concern in the state.
He urged the state government to set free the 151 workers in custody who are innocent according to him, saying they belonged to poor families who have come here to earn a living.
Visuals of the violence which went viral on social media showed a large group of people surrounding the police vehicles, climbing on top of them, pelting them with stones and then thrashing them with sticks, leaving the vehicles in shambles.
Subsequently, after the policemen retreated to safety, the workers set fire to one of the vehicles.
