Having only completed the remand of all the 164 accused arrested in connection with the clash between the police and migrant workers at Kizhakkambalam late on Sunday night, the Special Investigation Team has launched a full-fledged probe into the incident.
The 19-member SIT is led by Perumbavoor Assistant Superintendent of Police Anuj Paliwal and comprises two inspectors and seven sub-inspectors.
“We are in the preliminary stage of the investigation having only completed the remand procedures. Right now, our priority is to collect evidence and recreate the entire sequence of events. Whether to make more arrests or not will depend on the facts of the case to emerge from the probe,” a senior official associated with the probe said.
The investigation team is also set to move for the custodial interrogation of the accused, if not all of them but the ones identified as the key accused. The investigators have started looking into CCTV footage besides the video captured by local residents. They were, however, non-committal when asked about the possibility of carrying out raids in the labour intense areas in the wake of complaints about the rampant use of drugs among them.
Meanwhile, the Labour department hasn’t ruled out an inspection at the camps.
The Kunnathunadu police had registered two First Information Reports, one each for the assault of inspector V.T. Shajan and for the arson and damage of public properties worth around ₹12.05 lakh, arraigning in a total of 300 identifiable persons. So far, 51 persons have been arrested in connection with the first case and 113 in the second case.
The accused were from 11 different States and were sent to different jails in Kakkanad, Muvattupuzha, and Thrissur.
Among the charges invoked against the accused were attempt to murder, voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty, unlawful assembly, rioting, and wrongful confinement.
The remand report said that the accused had attacked Mr. Shajan with sticks and stones while shouting out to ‘kill him.’ He was allegedly hit on his back and head inflicting a fracture on his left arm. They also allegedly vandalised police vehicles and wireless sets besides smashing wind shields of a police bus and another vehicle.
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