Kasaragod: Nilambur MLA P V Anvar on Saturday slammed Kerala police calling them goons during his visit to the house of Abdul Sathar, who committed suicide after police had impounded his autorickshaw.
He said that the government has instructed the police to extort money from the public. "The people are compelled to bow down to such police demands due to their dire circumstances. The common people, especially the auto-rickshaw drivers, are struggling with mental pressure and financial difficulties," Anvar stated.
Furthermore, he remarked that the public has become slaves to the system, asserting that anyone who dared to speak out faced threats from the police and politicians. He noted that Kasaragod and Malappuram are the places in this state where the worst officers are being deployed, leading to recurring incidents of this nature. He urged the public to respond to these issues.
Anvar emphasised the need to protect autorickshaw drivers. He lamented that the people of Kasaragod had seemingly lost the ability to react to injustice. "People here don't have time to react to any injustice; they only have time to eat Mandhi," he said mockingly.
On October 7, Abdul Sathar went live on Facebook, accusing Kasaragod Town Sub-Inspector Anoop P of mentally torturing him and refusing to release his autorickshaw impounded over a petty offence even after five days.
He had narrated the incident and his bad experience with police in detail. When other autorickshaw drivers rushed to his rented house near Kasaragod Railway Station, it was locked from inside. Police broke down the door and found him dead.
