Former DGPs take on Kerala Police as BJP-CPM rivalry intensifies in TVM

It were two former DGPs who led the BJP's fight in the capital city against what it called the “Emergency-like atrocities of Pinarayi Vijayan's police” — T P Sen Kumar and R Sreelekha.

While Sen Kumar inaugurated a protest march of Hindu organisations like Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Hindu Aikya Vedi and Kshethra Samrakshana Samithi in front of the Museum police station, Sreelekha led the “mahila march” taken out by BJP women councillors of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation to the Vattiyoorkavu police station. Both took place on April 21.

The Hindu organisations were protesting against the alleged forced entry of the police into a building within the premises of Balasubramania Temple at Idappazhinji, under the Vattiyoorkavu police limits. It was alleged that the police had kicked open the door of a building where religious classes are held to arrest “innocent” BJP-RSS activists. The Sreelekha-led “mahila march” was taken out demanding the removal of Vattiyoorkavu CI Vipin C A for what the BJP described as his “selective and brutal attack on BJP-RSS workers”.

Sen Kumar's tone was grave, not disrespectful. He said that the police should act justly. He also posted a photograph of him inaugurating the protest on his Facebook page. Sen Kumar does not hold any official position in the BJP.

However, Sreelekha, who is the BJP's state vice president and its Sasthamangalam ward councillor, used threatening language more typical of street-level protests. “Poda pulle policee. Khakhi ittoru goondakale. Pinarayi-yude themmadikale. Njangalil onnine thottittu, theruvil irangy nadakkilla,” Sreelekha, with fists raised, was heard repeating after the main slogan-shouter in front of the police station. (“Go to hell, you goondas in khaki. Pinarayi's scoundrels, don’t ever think you can walk on the streets after touching one of us”). She and other women councillors were seated on the ground.

Sreelekha later took to Facebook to explain why she used such language. “Why would I, who had served the police force with pride for 33 years, use such language against the police?” she said. She alleged that a police team led by Vattiyoorkavu CI Vipin had, for over a month, particularly during the election campaign, been selectively implicating BJP workers in various cases.

“They are taken into custody and being tortured for fun. All of this at the instance of the CPM,” she said. Sreelekha was the BJP’s Vattiyoorkavu Assembly candidate.

She said the culmination of this “CPM-induced violence” was the alleged forced entry of police into the Balasubramania Temple at Idappazhinji on April 19 and the arrest of a BJP worker who had complained against a CPM worker. She alleged that the man was “cruelly beaten up” by the police and suffered serious eye injuries. “He is still in hospital,” she said.

“You feel frustrated on seeing this. You feel shame at the thought that it was such a force that you had served all these years,” she added.

Sreelekha also posted a WhatsApp screenshot of her conversation with City Police Commissioner Karthick K on April 20, in which she wrote: “Karthik… If you don’t take action against SHO Vattiyoorkavu for cruelly beating up BJP/Sangh workers without any reason, then I will personally stage a dharna in front of your office.”

Kerala Police Officers' Association general secretary C R Biju, in a Facebook post on Wednesday, dismissed his former bosses. “It is natural for people to evolve in peculiar ways. It is better to ignore them, realising that people who have changed in such a manner have forfeited their right to be called former police officers.”