Milad-e-Sherif ‘military march’: Probe ordered

Kerala Director General of Police Jacob Punnoose has ordered an investigation into the incident of a rally organized on Milad-e-Sherif at Kanhangad in Kasaragod district in which the participants wore attires that resembled the uniform of the Indian Army.

The Assistant Superintendent of Police in Kasaragod would be in charge of the investigation, Punnoose said on Wednesday, adding that further actions would be taken on the basis of the police’s probe report. The Hosdurg police had registered cases against about 100 young men in connection with the rally.

Punnoose said that it was illegal for the public to hold demonstrations wearing military or police fatigues but the intention behind the Milad-e-Sherif rally was not yet clear. The organizers of the rally would be asked to furnish an explanation on this, he said.

The focus of the special investigation would be on the intention of the conduct of the rally in Kanhangad, known as a disturbed area. Punnoose said that the police were also examining whether there were any mysterious designs behind the rally. The Kasaragod police had already held raids on several houses in the Kanhangad region in connection with the incident.

Using military or police fatigues for public demonstrations is an offence that could attract imprisonment up to three months and a fine of up to Rs 500, as per Indian laws. The BJP had the other day alleged that there was mystery behind the rally and had demanded a thorough probe into its possible extremist connections.

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