Nava Kerala Sadas ‘rescue act’ case: Five former CM security personnel depose before SIT

Alappuzha: Five former security personnel assigned to then-Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan appeared before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Thursday for intensive questioning regarding the alleged assault of Youth Congress activists during the 2023 Nava Kerala Sadas outreach initiative. The security officials—identified as Anil Kumar S (Vijayan's long-time personal gunman), Sandeep S, Shaiju V K, Arun R and Vipin V V—reported to the local Crime Branch office.

The interrogation is being spearheaded by an SIT panel under the leadership of Superintendent of Police (SP) A P Shaukat Ali.

Anticipatory bail clears way for interrogation
The deployment follows a key ruling by the Alappuzha District and Sessions Court on Tuesday, which granted pre-arrest bail to the five personnel under the condition that they cooperate fully with ongoing SIT sessions starting Thursday.

Sessions Judge Honey M Varghese observed that custodial containment was not explicitly necessary, given that the security officers had already surrendered the lathis allegedly used in the encounter and their core statements were catalogued. The court has cleared the SIT to grill the personnel across the next two days if required. The order further guarantees that should formal arrests take place, the officers must be immediately released on executing personal bonds of ₹1 lakh each alongside two solvent sureties.

From protest to ‘attempt to commit culpable homicide’

The criminal case dates back to a high-voltage political clash in Alappuzha in December 2023. Activists from the Youth Congress and the Kerala Students’ Union (KSU) staged a aggressive black-flag demonstration against the CPM-led administration as Pinarayi Vijayan's ministerial bus navigated through the district. According to prosecution reports, the security detail breached standard parameters by exiting their trailing escort vehicles to assault the demonstrators with heavy wooden batons after local police officers had already brought the protesters under control.

The incident left multiple individuals injured, including current Alappuzha MLA A D Thomas and Youth Congress state secretary Ajay Jewel Kuriakose. While the previous LDF administration initially dismissed the security intervention as a necessary "rescue operation", the political paradigm shifted after the Congress-led UDF assumed power in 2026. Following its inaugural Cabinet meeting, the newly elected government under Chief Minister V D Satheesan set up the SIT to dismantle previous reports and launch a clean-slate investigation.

The probe subsequently slapped the security team with far more stringent, non-bailable legal charges under Section 308 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for attempt to commit culpable homicide.

PTI