Cops behaved like rioters in Tanur: Minority Commission slams Kerala Police

The Minority Commission slammed the police for its role in Tanur violence last month.
The commission recommended action against police personnel responsible for the violence.
A special team of higher officials should investigate into the police excess.

State Minority Commission has found that the police behaved like rioters in Tanur after the CPM-Muslim League conflict escalated into a law and order situation last month. Police personnel went on rampage and ransacked houses under the cover of establishing peace in the coastal villages, an investigation by the commission revealed.

On the night of 12 March, CPM and Muslim league workers clashed at Korman beach in Tanur and the violence spread to nearby areas including Chappappady and Aalbazar. The violent crowd destroyed houses, vehicles, shops and boats. Dozens of houses were set on fire and people were forced to flee from the area, Madhyamam reported.

The police intervention was equally horrifying, the Commission felt. When the violence subsided, cops from AR Camp forced into the houses and spread panic. The police personnel went on rampage and ransacked houses. The cops also destroyed vehicles and threatened people, according to the commission.

The commission recommended action against police personnel responsible for the violence. A special team of higher officials should investigate into the police excess.

Tanur witnessed a riot-like situation on the night of 12 March in which more than 30 houses were set on fire and numerous vehicles destroyed when a minor clash between CPM-Muslim League workers escalated into a full-blown violence. The angry mob set houses on fire, destroyed fishing boats and fishing gears and terrorised people. Police raids to catch the miscreants were even more violent and it left women and children in disarray.

Later, it was revealed that it was not a sudden flare up. The clashes between the CPM and Muslim League were routine in the area but the political leadership and authorities conveniently ignored it. The arson and violence last month was only a continuation of a series of clashes of over ten years. Not a single miscreant was convicted even though numerous cases of violence and clashes between CPM and Muslim League were filed in the area in the past 10 years. As many as 374 cases of were withdrawn or settled outside court since 2006 under Tanur Police limits alone. Political parties helped the culprits escape the law by striking a deal. No one was convicted in 307 cases charge sheeted between 2006-13.

Last Updated Mar 31, 2018, 7:05 PM IST