Nationalist Mahila Congress leader RB Jisha accused the MLA and his wife of abusing her during a party event in Haripad.
Kuttanad MLA Thomas K Thomas. (Creative Commons)
It was meant to be a fundraising event for the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) at Haripad in Kerala’s Alappuzha district. Instead, it ended up in abuses and an alleged assault.
The Haripad police on Thursday, 15 December, visited the residence of Kuttanad MLA Thomas K Thomas and recorded the statement of his wife Shirley Thomas.
Earlier, the police registered a case against Thomas and his wife based on Nationalist Mahila Congress leader RB Jisha’s complaint.
Jisha accused the MLA of assault and making casteist remarks against her during the fundraiser on 9 December. She named Shirley Thomas also in the complaint.
The police booked the MLA and his wife under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The dispute started after the woman leader reportedly demanded party members from outside Haripad to leave the meeting.
Jisha reportedly questioned the presence of the MLA’s wife at the party meeting. Shirley Thomas allegedly responded with abuses.
The MLA also filed a complaint against Jisha, saying she had abused him.
NCP sources blamed factionalism in the party for the ugly episode. Meanwhile, NCP leader Alice K Josi criticised the MLA for the incident.
Earlier, Alice had also complained with the Alappuzha South Police, accusing the MLA of assaulting her. The incident occurred on 23 August at the NCP district committee office in Alappuzha during a party poll.
Thomas is the brother of late NCP state president and former Kuttanad MLA Thomas Chandy. The constituency fell vacant in 2019 after the demise of Chandy.
Thomas became the MLA after he defeated Jacob Abraham by 5,516 votes in the 2021 assembly election.
May 20, 2024
May 20, 2024
May 20, 2024
May 20, 2024
May 20, 2024
May 20, 2024
