Thiruvananthapuram: With the probe into the in-flight protest incident taking a serious turn, on Friday the CPI-M state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan like the Left Democratic Front convenor E.P. Jayarajan retracted his words.
Balakrishnan had earlier said that the sloganeering occured when Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was inside the plane.
On Monday, the Chief Minister was on board IndiGo aircraft travelling from Kannur to the state capital. After the touch down here, three Youth Congress workers raised slogans against the CM in the wake of the serious allegations against him and his family made by Swapna Suresh — the prime accused in the gold smuggling case.
The state has been witnessing massive protests since early this month when the allegations surfaced and the Congress and the BJP workers have been demanding Vijayan’s resignation. The sloganeering inside the aircraft was part of the Congress protests.
The first visuals of the sloganeering came out soon after the flight landed. Left Democratic Front convenor E.P. Jayarajan, who was also on board the aircraft and was seen pushing down the protesters who were seen raising slogans.
Jayarajan pushed the two protesters, who fell down. He told the TV channel that the sloganeering took place after Vijayan had alighted from the aircraft and also added that the protesters were heavily drunk and had lost their senses.
Jayarajan later held a press meet and said Vijayan was present inside the aircraft, and also added that the Youth Congress workers ‘appeared’ to be drunk.
After him, Balakrishnan said the incident in the aircraft took place after Vijayan had alighted from the aircraft.
This came at a time when the Kerala Police had registered a case against the three Youth Congress workers and charged them under sections of attempt to murder.
The local manager of the airline filed a report which alleged that the protesters ‘attacked’ the chief minister. Moreover, the report failed to mention the name of Jayarajan, who had manhandled the protesters.
The Congress cried foul and on Thursday, Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan dismissed the report prepared by the IndiGo Airlines’ manager here as “fudged” and added that it did not present a true and fair view. He wrote to the airline’s top official demanding a proper probe.
Union Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia said all things would be looked into and the airline announced a probe by a retired judge.
CPI-M party organ, ‘Deshabhimani’ carried an article by Balakrishnana wherein he retracted his previous statement that the incident took place before Vijayan alighted from the aircraft and it was Jayarajan and Vijayan’s security and his personal assistant who prevented the protesters to come near Vijayan.
With this Balakrishnan like Jayarajan has also retracted from what they said on this issue, which is documented, as well.
–IANS