The Hindu : Poonthura Siraj arrested

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 07, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala-Thiruvananthapuram

Poonthura Siraj arrested

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Nov. 6. The People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader and Corporation councillor from Ambalathara ward, Poonthura Siraj, was arrested by the city police from the Thiruvananthapuram Press Club where Mr. Siraj had arrived to address a press conference on Wednesday morning.

Mr. Siraj, who is high on the wanted list of the police in connection with the PDP violence in the city on October 31, was overpowered and arrested from the Press Club building by a police team which was staking out at the area well in advance.

The PDP leader was surrounded by a handful of uniformed and plainclothesmen as he alighted out of a private car near the Press Club entrance at around 11 a. m. On seeing the police, Mr. Siraj ran up the steps of the press club complex and took refuge in the library hall.

The policemen, who followed close on his heels, overpowered Siraj in the presence of journalists and hustled him out of the building and pushed him into a police van that was parked below. He was whisked away to the Cantonment police station where he was held till late afternoon. Mr. Siraj was later produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-III on charges of attempted murder, rioting, causing grievous hurt to a policeman on duty, making mischief with fire, unlawful assembly and destruction of public property among other charges. He was remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.

In a similar operation, the city police picked up five wanted activists on the same charges. They were identified as Hakim Khan of the National Review, Varkala Raj, Panavoor Hassan, Sudheeran and Shamnad.

Police said the PDP activists were arrested from near the Kerala Union of Working Journalist's office at Pulimoodu junction. The PDP men were chased and arrested when they arrived at the KUWJ hall to distribute some statements, an official said. The other persons who were arrested were identified as Pachira Salahudeen, Ummer Khan and ``Thoppil'' Nizar. All were produced before the court and remanded to 14 days in judicial custody.

The police denied claims by the PDP that Mr. Siraj was not an absconder and was always available at this residence in Poonthura. The PDP claimed that Mr. Siraj could have arrested anytime by the police and there was no need for all the ``high drama''.

An official said the police had set a watch on his house and PDP offices ever since Siraj's ``mysterious disappearance'' in the thick of the police action against PDP workers who went on the rampage in front of the Government Secretariat on October 31.

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