Malappuram: Edavanna police arrested five people including CPM Edavanna secretary in what is allegedly an instance of moral policing that transpired on July 13. CPM area secretary Jafar Mollangotan and Edavanna panchayat member Jaseel Malangadan were amongst the arrested. The police later released all of the arrested accused on station bail.

The incident that led to the arrest occurred at the Edavanna bus stand last Thursday. Police initiated action on the complaint of an undergraduate student and her brother who were allegedly assaulted by the accused in what the siblings complained was an episode of moral policing.

Shimla said her brother and his friends were attacked by a mob including area CPM leaders when they questioned a person who photographed them with his mobile. The siblings were at the time waiting in the bus stand to board a bus to their place Othayi.

A flex board was erected soon after the incident, which threatened the students against gathering in the bus stand after 5 pm. The board erected by the 'Edavanna Janakeeya Koottayma' warned that the public would manhandle the students found on the bus stand premises after 5 pm. In retaliation, another board was raised by 'Vidyarthi Paksham Edavanna' questioning the legality of the board erected earlier.

The police have slapped charges as per IPC and KPA sections on the arrested persons that include insulting the modesty of women, voluntarily causing hurt and the Kerala Police Act section of taking photographs or recording videos or propagating them at any place in a manner affecting the reasonable privacy of women.