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He secured bail in all four cases registered against him in connection with the protest marches to the Secretariat and also the DGP's office.
Published Jan 18, 2024 | 10:54 AM ⚊ Updated Jan 18, 2024 | 10:54 AM
File photo of Kerala Youth Congress president Rahul Mamkootathil. (RahulMamkootathilBrigades/Facebook)
Rahul Mamkootathil, the state president of the Congress’ youth wing, was released on bail from the Poojappura Central Prison on Wednesday night, 17 January, more than a week after he was arrested and jailed for allegedly leading violent attacks during a recent protest march to the state Secretariat.
The state president of the Youth Congress was released from prison around 9 pm after he secured bail in all the four cases registered against him in connection with the protest marches to the Secretariat and also the DGP’s office.
A photograph of him shortly after being released from his cell, showing Mamkootathil being surrounded by several Congress leaders and YC activists, did the rounds on local TV channels.
When he exited the prison gates, he was greeted by Youth Congress workers who had gathered in large numbers to cheer him on, showering him with flowers.
The YC state president also addressed the crowd of supporters, saying, “We will not withdraw our protests no matter how much we are assaulted or how many are jailed.”
Mamkootathil had been granted bail in two of the cases on Tuesday and in the remaining on Wednesday, advocate Mridul John Mathew, who represented the YC state president, said.
Subsequently, an order was issued by a magisterial court around 8 pm for the release of the YC leader from prison, the lawyer said.
Mamkootathil was arrested on 9 January from his home in Pathanamthitta district and transported by road to Thiruvananthapuram. On the same day, he was remanded to judicial custody till 22 January by a court in Thiruvananthapuram.
Thereafter, on Tuesday, he was booked in three fresh cases, with one of them related to the KPCC protest march to the DGP’s office.
The other cases were in connection with last month’s protest march to the Secretariat that had turned violent and saw clashes between the police and the protestors.
His arrest had led to protests by the Youth Congress across the state for several days.
The Youth Congress march to the Secretariat, organised last month, aimed to draw attention to the alleged attacks on its workers by police and activists of the youth outfit of the ruling CPI(M) during the state government’s Nava Kerala Sadas programme, led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
(Disclaimer: The headline, subheads, and intro of this report along with the photos may have been reworked by South First. The rest of the content is from a syndicated feed, and has been edited for style.)
