Congress cries foul over influencing of Kerala medical officer to put YC President in jail

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 11 (IANS) Kerala's Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan on Thursday accused the Pinarayi Vijayan government of going to any extent to manipulate things to send opposition leaders to jail, as in the case of arrested Youth Congress chief Rahul Mankoothathil.

Satheesan said that the Vijayan government is behaving in a ‘Stalinist’ way of governance.

"The government tried its best to see that Mankoothathil should not get bail and for that, they manipulated things. It was done using a police official who influenced a medical officer who gave a medically fit certificate, when it should have been given by the treating doctor. We will deal this injustice in the way it should be dealt," he said.

Mankoothathil, in an early morning police action, was arrested from his house in Pathanamthitta district on Tuesday and brought to the state capital in a case of destruction of public property at a party protest held here last month, where he is the fourth accused.

He was later produced before a local court where it was informed that he has health issues and the court asked for a medical checkup.

Following which he was taken to the state-run general hospital here on Tuesday late evening and it was here what Satheesan alleged that the police, acting under the directions of the higher-ups, influenced the medical officer who stated that the arrested leader was medically fit.

Based on this certificate, the court denied bail to the Youth Congress president and sent him to jail.

Satheesan slammed CPI-M state Secretary M.V.Govindan for spreading canards that Mankoothathil had produced a fake medical certificate before the court to escape from the jail.

"It's the state government which has played foul by coming out with a fake medical certificate of the arrested leader. We will deal with this legally. Mankoothathil has been arrested at a time when the personal security officials of Vijayan who has been charged with serious offenses, continues to be in public domain, while political adversaries are being haunted," he claimed.

Satheesan said this foul play will be exposed when the bail plea of Mankoothathil will come up in court.