Spouses of suspended policemen threaten indefinite hunger strike

Sullia, January 3: The better-halves of police personnel in Sullia on Monday took to the street to protest the 'unjustifiable suspension' of cops for taking action against the miscreants, as per the order of higher authorities.

The protest comes after four policemen were placed under suspension in Sullia police station, on charges of 'police atrocity against Hindu activists' in the aftermath of attack on Sullia police station by a group of miscreants belonging to Hindutva outfits.

Allegedly yielding to the political pressure, the police department has suspended Sullia Inspector Tharanath, Sub Inspector Ravi Kumar and constables Scaria and Ramesh, who had arrested the local BJP leaders for pelting stones at station.

“The police department has done injustice to its own personnel by suspending them, although the latter had arrested the miscreants as per the directions of senior police officers”, said the protesting women.

In a memorandum sent to Director General of Police through Puttur ASP Anuchet, they also threatened to launch hunger strike in front of the police station if the department failed to withdraw its 'politically motivated suspension order'

They said that although police personnel were injured when the miscreants pelted stones at the station, they had given priority to the duty instead of sleeping on hospital beds. However, the department punished them for their duty consciousness, they lamented.

Asha Ramesh, Manju Scaria, Prema Hareesh, Rashmi Devaraj, Rekha Radhakrishna, Baby Seetharam, Savitha Tharanath, Vishalakshi Sheshappa, Kalavathi Chinnappa and Theertha Umesh were among the protesters.