The Congress alleged foul play and a wilful attempt to divert public attention from the office vandalism case against SFI workers.
Published Aug 19, 2022 | 6:59 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 19, 2022 | 7:00 PM
Rahul Gandhi arrives in Kerala for a three-day visit. in July 2022 (Twitter/INCIndia)
The 24 June incident, in which 24 activists of the CPI(M)’s student wing Students Federation of India (SFI) allegedly vandalised the Wayanad office of Congress leader and Lok Sabha member Rahul Gandhi, took a curious turn on Friday, 19 August, with the Kerala Police arresting four Congress workers — including Rahul Gandhi’s personal assistant — for allegedly damaging a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi inside the office to strengthen the case against SFI workers further.
All the Congress workers were released on station bail after the arrest. At the same time, the Congress claimed the police action was a ploy to divert public attention from the controversies plaguing the Kerala government and weaken the case against the SFI activists.
The four arrested are Rahul Gandhi’s personal assistant KR Ratheesh, office staff R Rahul, and party workers KA Majeed and V Naushad.
Out on bail, Ratheesh told reporters that it was a fake case registered by the police to please the CPI(M) leadership and demean the Congress.
The arrests happened at a time when Congress was accusing SFI workers of damaging the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi in Rahul Gandhi’s office.
The issue began when the Supreme Court on 3 June gave a directive to create mandatory eco-sensitive zones (ESZs) of a minimum one-kilometre radius around protected forests and wildlife sanctuaries.
The SFI activists, in hundreds, took out a rally in Kalpetta in Wayanad, and demanded Rahul Gandhi’s intervention in the matter.
They demanded that the MP assure the people of the Wayanad constituency that they would not be forcibly displaced to create ESZs.
The SFI’s protest march turned violent, and the agitators allegedly barged into Rahul Gandhi’s office and trashed it.
