Fight breaks out in Thrissur DCC office over Muraleedharan’s defeat in LS polls, case registered

Thrissur (Kerala): The BJP‘s historic win in the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat resulted in a fight at the Congress DCC office here over the defeat of party leader K Muraleedharan from this central Kerala constituency. The police on Saturday registered an FIR against Thrissur District Congress Committee (DCC) president Jose Vallur and 19 other members of the party on the complaint of DCC secretary Sajeevan Kuriachira. The 20 accused have been booked under various bailable sections of the IPC for unlawful assembly, rioting, wrongful restraint and voluntarily causing hurt.

Kuriachira, in his complaint, has alleged that he was beaten up by Vallur and his supporters at the DCC office on Friday. Kuriachira is part of the group close to Muraleedharan that has blamed former MP T N Prathapan and Vallur for the party’s drubbing in Thrissur. Muraleedharan’s defeat had triggered a row in the district unit of the party as posters were put up on Wednesday outside the Thrissur DCC office criticising the district leadership for the “unexpected” loss.

The row escalated into fisticuffs on Friday at the DCC office. BJP’s Suresh Gopi had won the Thrissur LS seat by a remarkable margin of 74,686, paving way for the saffron party to open its maiden account in the state for the lower house of Parliament. Muraleedharan had to settle for third position with 3,28,124 votes. Shocked and disappointed, Muraleedharan had announced that he won’t contest elections anymore and would stay away from public life for some time.