Attack on Forest Officers – Cases being withdrawn to Shield Christian Congregation and Priests: BJP

Thiruvananthapuram: The state unit of Bharatiya Janata Party has alleged that the move on the part of state home department in hastily withdrawing cases related to attack on forest department, unleashed as part of various protests against Kasturi Rangan report, is to shield the Christian clergy who happen to be involved in the same. President of BJP’s state unit V Muraleedharan said that the government’s move to release the prisoners have come after the home department stated that “those arrested are no way associated with the case”.

Pointing out that it was the congregation and Christian priests who gave lead to those remonstrations of November 2013, which were held in Thamarassery and Kottiyur, after spreading canards that Kasturi Rangan report was aimed at evicting farmers of highlands, Muraleedharan said that these remonstrations in Thamarassery incurred a loss of two and a half crore rupees and Kottiyoor of 68 lakhs. “Apart from a loss of crores being incurred, numerous vital documents were destroyed as well. The motive was very clear- under the pretext of remonstrations Christian congregations and priests had the agenda of saving themselves. The same was revealed in a report submitted by a covert investigation. These marauders attacked Thamarassery forest office and destroyed vital documents and vehicles. Among these documents were those numerous complaints of the Christian congregation having encroached into forest lands”.

Alleging that the state home department was doing everything in its power to shield and exonerate those who had resorted to the worst of crimes, Muraleedharan said that “it was a clear instance of home minister Ramesh Chennithala sheltering clergies who were plating vote bank politics by placing communal interests in the forefront. The real culprits should be brought to book and awarded befitting punishment without taking into consideration communal interests, failing which the BJP would launch into stringent protests.”