The police have identified a personal staff member of K.B. Ganesh Kumar, MLA, as the one who threatened Vipin Lal, a key witness in the actor assault case in Kochi.
According to a report filed by the Bekal police in the Hosdurg First Class Magistrate Court, Pradeep Kumar, office secretary of Mr. Ganesh Kumar, threatened Mr. Lal, a resident of Bekal in Kasaragod.
The report said that on January 23, Mr. Kumar went to Bekal in search of Mr. Lal, but could not find him. He then went to a jewellery shop in Kanhangad where Mr. Lal’s uncle works, called his mother and asked her to tell Mr. Lal to change his statement in the court. He introduced himself as the lawyer’s clerk. Mr. Kumar allegedly threatened Mr. Lal several times through letters too.
CCTV footage
Mr. Lal lodged a complaint with the Bekal police on September 26 when the pressure tactics continued. The police identified Mr. Kumar using the CCTV footage at the jewellery shop and documents submitted at the lodge where he stayed.
Meanwhile, V.S. Manoj Kumar, general secretary of Kerala Congress (Jacob) demanded the resignation of the MLA from the post of Chairman of Assembly Petitions Committee since a member of his personal staff was facing serious charges.
“If the MLA is not ready to resign, the Speaker should expel him,” Mr. Manoj Kumar said.
