Warrant against seven Cong workers for attack on Malayalam actor’s car

The Kochi police has issued a non-bailable warrant against Congress workers who allegedly vandalised Malayalam actor Joju George’s car on Monday (November 1).

George had had an argument with Congress workers protesting against fuel price hike on the Edappally-Vytilla stretch of the National Highway No. 66 on Monday morning. The actor questioned the agitators for blocking the busy National Highway, which connects Kochi with Thiruvananthapuram.

The FIR blames seven Congress workers, led by former Mayor and senior leader Tony Chamminy, for the attack.

My MP @ShashiTharoor would have used all fancy words from the dictionary to condemn the attack on film actor #JojuGeorge had the perpetrators belonged to a different political party or the incident happened to the north of Kasaragod. Your silence is blaring & humiliating.

— Sreejith Panickar (@PanickarS) November 2, 2021

Agitated Congress workers allegedly smashed the glass of his vehicle, saying that the actor, in a drunken state, ”misbehaved” with the women workers of the party who were protesting against the skyrocketing prices of the petrol and diesel.

Police took the actor to a government hospital in Tripunithura for medical examination after the Congress workers complained that he created trouble in the protest venue in a drunken state, but the test came out negative.

“Action would be taken against the culprits after examining the video footage of the incidents. No written permission was sought for the agitation but there was enough police deployment after coming to know about the protest through the media,” a police officer told reporters.

As the protesters blocked the highway, George, whose car got trapped in the Vyttila area, came out of it and urged the agitators to end the protest as it was causing difficulties for the commuters.

“My protest was not against a party, but against their style of agitation. In the car next to me, there was a young patient who required chemotherapy. As per the orders of the High Court, no road can be blocked for a protest. There were so many people sitting inside their cars, just sweating away in the heat. I went and told them (Congress workers) that this is hooliganism,” George told reporters later outside the Panangad police station.

The actor was joined by several other people, who also questioned the manner in which the protest is being carried out in a busy highway.

District Congress Committee (DCC) president Mohammed Shiyas claimed that the 30-minute road-blocking protest was organised after giving notice to the police and publicising about it through the media. The Kochi City, however, said that no written permission was granted to the Congress to conduct the road blockade.

Condemning the actions of the actor, Shiyas alleged that George created trouble in the protest venue in a drunken state and misbehaved with women workers of the party.

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George, while talking to reporters, said the mode of protest blocking the road was not acceptable.

Such “shameful” protests should not be repeated again as it was affecting people who have ventured out of their houses for their various needs, the actor said.

He alleged that the local Congress leaders abused him.

KPCC chief K Sudhakaran condemned the action of the actor and sought legal action against the actor.