Case registered against Vellapally Natesan in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram

The police today registered a case against SNDP general secretary, Vellapally Natesan, in connection with an alleged ‘communal hate speech’ made by him at Aluva in Kochi.

“A case has been registered at a police station at Aluva near Kochi wherein Natesan had made the speech yesterday,” Home minister Ramesh Chennithala told reporters here.

The case lodged under section 153(A) of IPC (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth and language) is punishable with imprisonment for three years.

Chennithala said matters connected with the case, including his arrest, would be decided after the probe.

He also said the probe into alleged irregularities in the micro finance scheme run by SNDP is being investigated by the crime branch.

Natesan, who is leading ‘Samathwa Munnetta Yatra’ to unite Hindu caste outfits, had alleged that the Congress led UDF government was giving financial assistance to families of mishap victims on the basis of caste and religion.

He was referring to the compensation awarded by Government to the family of one Noushad, who died last week after inhaling poisonous gas inside a manhole while trying to save two labourers from the pit in Kozhikode.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who had visited the bereaved family at kozhikode, had announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh and job to his wife.

Earlier, Chandy had condemned the statement of Natesan describing it as ‘most communal’ and ‘venomous and very unfortunate’.

Meanwhile, Natesan during his yatra, said his speech had been misquoted by the media. His effort was only to draw attention to the discrimination being suffered by the majority community.

Chandy pointed out that Noushad had died while trying to rescue two workers who got trapped while working in a manhole and that sacrifice was ‘highly commendable’ and should be recognised by society.

Government had in the past provided assistance to people in similar circumstances without taking into account their caste or religion, Chandy said.

“I have dealt with cases like this that came to my knowledge and the needful was done in all of them,” he said.

While KPCC President V M Sudheeran sought legal action and alleged that Natesan was trying to divide society on the lines of religion, CPI(M) veteran and state opposition leader V S Achuthanandan demanded the arrest of Natesan and registering a case against him.

Inputs from PTI