Thiruvananthapuram: A former office-bearer of the Students' Federation of India (SFI) has been removed from the personal staff of Kerala Health Minister Veena George with retrospective effect over his role in ransacking the office of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at Kalpetta in Wayanad on Friday. However, she claimed that everyone has the right to protest and it is part of one's democratic rights.
KR Avishith, who has been booked along with over two dozen activists, was the vice-president of the Wayanad district unit of the SFI, the students' wing of the CPM.
The General Administration Department (GAD) issued his removal order with retrospective effect from June 15 after Opposition Leader in the Assembly VD Satheesan alleged that Avishith had led the attack on the Wayanad MP's office from the front (on June 24).
The order states that it has been issued on the basis of the letter given by the minister's office on June 23, seeking the removal of Avishith due to his abstention from duty for the last 10 days. This gives an impression that he was removed from the personal staff prior to the attack on Rahul Gandhi's office. But the letter was given by the minister's office to the GAD only on June 25.
But Veena has denied such an allegation.
Meanwhile, Avishith came up with a social media post, justifying the attack on the office of Rahul Gandhi and threatening the police with consequences.
Minister contradicts herself
However, the minister made contradictory statements with regard to the removal of Avishith from her personal staff.
In the morning, Veena told the media that no one from her office was involved in the attack on the office of Rahul Gandhi. She further said that Avishith himself ended his service as a personal staff at the beginning of June itself due to personal reasons.
But by evening, the minister amended her statement by saying that Avishith did not come to the office regularly from the beginning of this month. Later, he reported for duty at the office from June 12 to 15. According to the minister, he did not come for duty after the 15th of this month.
