Kerala’s Congress party has launched a bid to politically protect its legislator M Vincent, arrested on the charge of sexually assaulting a 51-year-old woman, by alleging a CPI(M)-hatched conspiracy behind the case against him even as a court in Neyyattinkara, Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday left him in the custody of police for one day. The court is likely to consider his bail plea on Wednesday.
The Police had arrested Vincent, MlA from Kovalam in Thiruvananthapuram, on Saturday on the basis of a complaint filed by the woman that he had assaulted her sexually and had been threatening her. The MlA was sent to the Sub-Jail in Neyyattinkara on Saturday itself after the First Class Judicial Magistrate Court there remanded him in judicial custody for 14 days.
The Congress and the Opposition UDF it leads in the State on Tuesday pledged “total support” to Vincent who, according to them, was the victim of a conspiracy of the CPI(M). However, the party had on Sunday suspended him from the positions he was holding in it while announcing that there was no need for him to resign till a court found him guilty.
A meeting of the State Congress leadership on Tuesday decided to extend total support to Vincent. Certain senior woman leaders, who had demanded Vincent’s resignation earlier, stated in the meeting that they would stand by the party decision. The meeting also decided to start efforts to expose the conspiracy the CPI(M) had allegedly hatched against Vincent.
“There was a CPI(M) conspiracy behind Vincent’s arrest. It was a planned move. The authorities of the Neyyattinkara jail had prior information about the arrest of a VIP,” said State Congress president MM Hassan after the leadership meet. “However, the party decided to keep Vincent away from the party positions to uphold democratic values,” he added.
At the same time, the disciplinary action against Vincent has created divisions in the Congress leadership. A section in the party feels that it was a big contradiction in the decision to suspend him from party position while arguing that he was innocent.
But Hassan said the decision was taken in consultation with senior leaders like former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.
A meeting of the Opposition UDF on Tuesday morning also pledged support to Vincent and concluded that the case against him was fabricated. “The case is politically motivated. Vincent has committed no wrong. The woman has no credibility. However, we welcome a fair probe but the current investigation is not fair,” said UDF convener PP Thankachan.
The Neyyattinkara court on Tuesday left Vincent in the custody of the police for one day though they had sought his custody for five days as they had to question him in detail on the basis of the woman’s complaint and take him for the evidence-gathering exercise to the places where, as per the woman’s statement, he had assaulted her sexually.
As per the remand report the police had submitted in the court on Saturday, Vincent had assaulted the woman sexually twice, once in her house and the second time at her shop. The assaults had taken place on September 10 and November 11 last year, according to the statement the woman, who was Vincent’s neighbour, had given to the police.
According to her, Vincent had threatened her several times. The scandal erupted last Wednesday after she was admitted to a private hospital following a suicide bid. She said she attempted to end her life due to his threats and as she could not betray her husband. Vincent has been slapped with charges of rape, stalking and abetment of suicide.
Vincent said on Tuesday that he was the victim of a conspiracy hatched by CPI(M)’s Thiruvananthapuram district secretary Anavoor Nagappan and its MlA from Neyyattinkara, K Ansalan. He said he had not sexually assaulted the woman and the reference to this in the remand report was a lie adding that the police had treated him badly.