Sumo gone, shelter gone: Cops lose makeshift outpost outside Pinarayi Vijayan’s house

Kannur: Kerala Police have finally towed away the derelict Tata Sumo SUV that had served as a makeshift outpost for officers guarding the house of Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan at Pandyalamukku in Pinarayi village for nearly a decade.

The 2014-model SUV, parked in the narrow lane outside Vijayan’s residence, was removed on Tuesday, three months after media reports in May highlighted the condition of the vehicle and the plight of the officers stationed there. The police said the vehicle was not removed as part of any change in Vijayan’s security arrangements. It was taken away because it was no longer functioning, said Kannur City Police Commissioner B V Vijaya Bharath Reddy.

“The security has not been changed. Only the vehicle has been removed,” the Commissioner said, adding that the deployment would continue as per the existing security protocol.

The Sumo had no battery for long years. Yet, it had remained a fixture outside Vijayan’s house, doubling as a resting place and makeshift police outpost for officers on security duty. Parked tightly against the compound wall, the seven-seater Sumo left barely enough space for another vehicle to pass. Its position was so close to the wall that only the doors on one side could be opened.

Inside, officers kept registers, files and caps, while a battery-operated fan provided some relief during hot weather. The personnel also used the vehicle to take shelter from the rain while on duty. The police officers, drawn from the Kannur Armed Reserve Camp, had for years faced a more basic problem: they were not given access to the toilet in the outhouse at Vijayan’s residence.

Initially, they depended on neighbouring houses. Later, they used the washroom at a newly opened Triveni Supermarket. They now use the toilet at the new Pinarayi police station, around 800 metres from the residence.

​The unusual arrangement came to public attention in May, after the LDF government was voted out in the Assembly election, ending Vijayan’s second consecutive term as Chief Minister. For the 10 years he was in office, the officers deployed outside his house had silently continued with the arrangement.

No Sumo, no shelter
But with the Sumo gone, the police officers have also lost the only makeshift shelter they had while on duty. The security deployment continues on a shift basis, with a sub-inspector and two civil police officers on duty at a time.

The police do not plan to provide a replacement jeep at the Leader of the Opposition’s residence. The department has concluded that a dedicated vehicle is not required for the security personnel for now, particularly after the monsoon. The officers are deployed in shifts rather than continuously for 24 hours. The police said that, under the prescribed guard protocol, they are required to remain standing at their assigned position while on duty.

While the media focus was on the dead SUV that had stood outside Vijayan’s house for a decade, its removal also means that the police officers guarding the residence have lost the only place where they could sit and take shelter while on duty.