Kochi: Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan and Ernakulam District Congress Committee president Mohammed Shiyas were arrested in connection with alleged untoward incidents during a protest in Kothamangalam carrying the dead body of the elderly woman who was trampled to death by a wild elephant on Monday. 

Kuzhalnadan, who led the protest, said his arrest has been recorded. He said both of them were taken into custody from a protest venue in Kothamangalam. He said his arrest was made under sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, and Kerala Health Workers' Act.

"Some of these provisions are non-bailable. The police have indicated that we will be produced before the magistrate soon," he said..
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, upon hearing about the police action, began a sit-in protest in Kothamangalam town. Chennithala said that Kuzhalnadan and Shiyas were taken into custody and that Congress party workers were "subjected to lathi charges" by the police in Kothamangalam.

Earlier on Monday, Kothamangalam witnessed a strong protest led by Kuzhalnadan and Idukki MP Dean Kuriakose, joined by hundreds of local people. They refused to hand over the body of the elephant-attack victim, Indira Ramakrishnan, for post-mortem. A scuffle broke out with the police during the protest, with the protesters chanting 'Police go back'. The body was reportedly forcibly taken from the mortuary for the protest, leading to heated exchanges between the police and the leaders.  PTI