A police probe into the open call of Nair Service Society (NSS) to vote for a Nair candidate in Vattiyoorkavu byelections has virtually been closed, citing the indifference of those who had raised the complaint.
But the complainants – the CPM and a Nair organisation called Samastha Nair Samajam (SNS) – rejected the police contention saying they had provided all the evidence they could gather.
CPM district committee member KC Vikraman, who had filed the complaint on behalf of the CPM, said he had handed over all the information that he could collect to both the police and the district collector. The evidence he mopped up mainly included a newspaper report that also had a photograph showing NSS women volunteers canvassing for the UDF in Vattiyoorkavu constituency.
“I also gave a statement before the police. I have never told them that I had lost interest in the case. The collector's office had later asked for more proof which I said I did not have,” Vikraman told Onmanorama.
The SNS general secretary Perumuttam Radhakrishnan, too, had submitted newspaper cuttings of NSS's open call for votes along with his complaint. But he said later he had submitted additional evidence to the police. “After I filed my complaint I collected video evidence to support our charge, and this was promptly handed over to the police,” Radhakrishnan said.
Further, he said it was not the complainant's job to provide the police with all the evidence. “We have done all that we can and now it is for the police to do a thorough investigation. The Election Commission had said the issue would be looked into if there was a complaint. We filed a complaint and provided sufficient proof to back our complaint. What else can we do? It is up to the police to take it from there,” Radhakrishnan said.
Chief Electoral Officer Teeka Ram Meena, to whom the police report was submitted, said he was examining the report. “Initial indications are that the people who have filed the complaint have not produced any evidence,” Meena said.
Nonetheless, the CEO said a decision on the fate of the 'NSS open canvassing' case would be decided only after the district collector files his report. The CEO had asked both the police and the collector to probe into the issue.
The complaint was that the Thiruvananthapuram unit of the NSS had made an open appeal to Nair voters to cast their votes in favour of UDF candidate K Mohankumar, a Nair. There were three complainants: CPM district committee member KC Vikraman, Samastha Nair Samajam general secretary Perumuttam Radhakrishnan and Nair Samudayam Samrakshana Samithi secretary Vinod Kumar.
After the NSS general secretary, G Sukumaran Nair made the 'right distance' declaration, the Thiruvananthapuram Taluk NSS had openly pledged support to the Congress candidate in Vattiyoorkavu. The NSS Taluk union had also begun squad work for the Congress candidate.
Now, the cops have concluded that the complainants have not furnished enough proof to back their claims.
Teeka Ram Meena also sounded irritated at the alleged apathy of the complainants. “It is not advisable to unnecessarily burden the commission with non-serious complaints,” Meena told Onmanorama. “Whoever raises a complaint should do it responsibly. This tendency to file complaints without adequate proof should be done away with,” he said.
The SNS secretary said the CEO himself was critical about the open call given by the NSS. “How can he now say there is no adequate proof,” Radhakrishnan asked.
In the middle of the election campaign, Meena was highly critical of communal organisations like the NSS and the SNDP and warned that he would invoke the model code of conduct if they cross the 'lakshmana rekha'.
“These charitable organisations have been formed specifically for the welfare of their community members. I am sure their bylaws will not have political activity as one of their objectives,” the CEO had said, and added: “But if they have political intentions, they simply will have to register as a political party.”
Meena said the code of conduct disapproves of non-political organisations making appeals against certain political parties or candidates. “Everyone is entitled to their freedom but no one has the right to transform the election arena into a battleground of caste and religion. If people don't keep their limits, the election process will descend into anarchy,” Meena had said.
