Thiruvananthapuram: The Sreekaryam police on Saturday arrested District Congress Committee (DCC) member Chenthi Ani for allegedly blocking the convoy of Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan at Chenthi in Thiruvananthapuram.

Ani, who also serves as a patron of the Chenthi Sree Narayana Cultural Centre Charitable Society, allegedly intercepted the convoy around 5.55 pm on Friday while the Chief Minister was on his way to Chempazhanthy to attend the Sree Narayana Guru Jayanti celebrations. The confrontation reportedly stemmed from the Chief Minister’s absence at an event organised by the charitable society as part of the celebrations.

According to the FIR, Satheesan’s vehicle stopped after he saw senior Congress leaders standing at Chenthi, following which he stepped out of the car. The FIR alleges that Ani then obstructed the vehicle from moving forward and questioned the Chief Minister, saying, “Isn’t this an event you accepted? Why aren’t you attending?”

When asked why he was angry, Ani allegedly replied, “What will you do if I get angry?” The FIR further alleges that he insulted the Chief Minister in public and obstructed the official duties of the police officers deployed for the Chief Minister’s route duty.

Ani was taken into custody around midnight, subjected to a mandatory medical examination and formally arrested on Saturday, Sreekaryam police told Onmanorama. The police registered the case under Sections 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 351(2) (criminal intimidation) and 132 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging duty) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The FIR names Ani as the accused and also mentions other identifiable persons.

Addressing the controversy, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said the organisers had been informed well in advance that Satheesan would be unable to attend their event because of his pre-scheduled appearance at the Chempazhanthy celebrations. The organisers cancelled their programme in protest and claimed that they had been informed about the same only at the last minute.