Nilambur MLA Anvar holds sit-in protest against Malappuram police chief

Malappuram: Nilambur MLA PV Anvar held a sit-in protest in front of the Malappuram District Police Chief's (DPC) office demanding, among other things, a crime branch inquiry under the court's observation into the disappearance of tree logs in 2021 from the official's house premises. MLA also alleged that the incumbent DPC S Sasidharan was unwilling to take action on the complaints filed by a Kollam native and himself over the theft.

The protest is part of a dispute between the Malappuram DPC and the MLA. A few days back, Anvar first criticised Sasidharan during the police association programme, accusing him of inefficiency and disrespectful behaviour towards the people’s representatives. He continued his attack on the police officer through media briefings and social media posts.

''The DPC is trying to sabotage the Life Mission project in the district. The DPC is supporting the persons behind the smuggling of logs. The social forestry department has valued the tree lost at Rs 56,000. A major portion of this was teak, valued at Rs 49,000. When the rest of the logs were auctioned, they were sold for just Rs 20,000.

''S Sujith Das was the then DCP. I have learned that Sujith Das used the Mahagani tree cut from the compound to make furniture for his personal use, while ADGP MR Ajithkumar used a major portion of the teak to make furniture for his own use. I filed a complaint with Sasidharan a few days ago. But he has not taken any action on it. I demand action against the IPS officers who have benefitted from the smuggling,'' Anvar said.

Though Anvar tried to enter the DPC's official residence on Thursday, he was not allowed to do so. The MLA said he went there to check the remains of a tree smuggled from the compound. The MLA also demanded the suspension of Ajithkumar for accepting a bribe from a YouTube channel owner. Despite repeated requests, Malappuram DPC has not yet responded to the allegations.