KOZHIKODU FIRING

KOZHIKODU FIRING

It is clear that assistant commissioner Radhakrishna Pillai had fired at the students without permission. The explanation given by police was that he had opened fire with the permission of executive magistrate N M Premraj but he himself stated that he had not given permission. As per rules, the permission from executive magistrate must be sought when opening firing during clashes. Without the permission, the AC fired four rounds with his service revolver. There are two tahsildars appointed by district administration. Collector PB Salim said that tahsildar Premraj was given duty from 8.30 to 10.30 and Narendran, power grid corporation special tahsildar (land acquisition), from 10.30 onwards.

Police have not got permission from both of them before opening fire. If the situation warrants firing, the police had to consult the district administration. In the report submitted by Premraj to the collector, he stated that Narendran was given the charge and had also asserted that he was not having the charge of executive magistrate.As per collector's direction Premraj reached the West Hill Engineering college at 9.15 am. At that time SFI activists were striking before the college. By 10 am they tried to barge into the college. Stones were pelted at the police. The report stated that the activists were removed by using tear gas and lathi charged. By 10.30 am he left the scene, Premaraj says. There was no information about firing in the report. Narendran told mediapersons that he was not at the spot when firing took place as he reached there only by 10.45 am. By 10.15 am, AC fired four rounds without completing the procedures and without warning. The situation was coming under control when he fired. The AC said he had fired to admit the injured policemen in hospital.

On the other hand the injured policemen were shifted to hospitals as per the demand of mediapersons and there was small clash between mediapersons and higher police officials on this. Leader of the opposition V.S. Achuthanandan Friday spoke against the report of the DGP's report on the Kozhikode firing saying that it was prepared for justifying the governemnt and the chief minister.This report will be contemptuously rejected by the strike committee as well as the people in the state, he said. Achuthanandan, who was here to visit the SFI activists in jail, said that if the Assistant Police Commissioner K. Radhakrishana Pillai is not suspended his party will launch the second round of agitation.
DGP Jacob Punnoose had Thursday,13th October,2011, submitted his report on the police action, including firing, against SFI activists at Kozhikode.The DGP's report justifies every action taken by the police including the firing by Radhakrishana Pillai against the agitators.The report says that violence during the agitation was getting out of hand and the shooting was just to bring it under control. However, the report finds faults with Radhakrishan Pillai for talking to the media after the events.There are indications that the report even mentions that it was the firing that brought things under control.
Police had fired in the air after a protest march by CPM affiliate Students Federation of India (SFI) turned violent leaving 20 people injured. Police had said they fired four rounds in the air as the protesters continued to pelt stones even after lathicharge and teargas. Eleven students, including SFI state Secretary P Biju, and ten police personnel were injured in stone pelting and police lathicharge. The SFI activists were protesting the admission of a student in the Government Engineering College here alleging that it was done in violation of rules. The situation turned violent after the protesters learnt that the student whose admission they were protesting against was there inside the college.

                                                              Prof. John Kurakar