In a significant development in Kerala politics, former Director General of Police (DGP) and BJP councillor R Sreelekha has been named as an accused in a case related to a BJP protest held outside the Vattiyoorkavu police station in Thiruvananthapuram.
Sreelekha, widely known as Kerala’s first woman IPS officer, had contested the April 9 Assembly elections from the Vattiyoorkavu constituency as a BJP candidate. She had inaugurated the BJP Mahila Morcha-led protest, which was organised to allege police assault on BJP workers at Nettayam.
The controversy escalated after videos surfaced showing Sreelekha chanting the slogan “poda pulle police,” a phrase widely considered derogatory towards the police force.
Initially, the police had registered a case against five BJP leaders and 50 unidentified persons. However, criticism mounted over the omission of Sreelekha’s name from the accused list despite her visible presence and participation in the protest.
Following the backlash, police filed a fresh report before the concerned magistrate’s court, which subsequently arraigned 15 persons, including Sreelekha, as accused in the case.
Deputy Mayor Asha Nath has also been included in the revised accused list submitted before the court.
Sreelekha’s actions have drawn criticism from various police associations, with leaders expressing disappointment that a former top police official raised slogans against the very department she once served.
Vattiyoorkavu MLA V K Prasanth also criticised the Thiruvananthapuram City Police Commissioner, alleging that special treatment was initially given to Sreelekha by not naming her in the case.
Responding to the controversy, Sreelekha has defended herself, stating that throughout her police service she consistently took a firm stand against wrongdoing within the department.
The case has now added a fresh political dimension to the post-election atmosphere in Kerala, with both the BJP and opposition leaders closely watching the legal proceedings.
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