A man has been taken in by the police over death threats to the CM and his family, stoking worries about the safety of our electeds. The timing is no coincidence: it comes on the heels of a separate incident involving Thaliparamba MLA T.K. Govindan, pointing to a pattern of trouble for political figures.
Police don’t tarry after late-evening calls
It all started with a pair of calls to the Thiruvananthapuram City District Police Command and Control Centre on Friday at 6.50 pm or so. The person on the line was said to be vowing to take out the CM and his family, then did it again at 6.53, not before some choice words for the officer on duty and a few questions about how we’re being protected.
Cantonment police put a case on the books and followed the number to Attingal. By Saturday they had the guy, Sony Thomas, in hand. He was reportedly drinking when he made the calls and will be in front of a judge for remand later on.
Another threat stirs up unease
Even as they were on to the first matter, word came in from Kannur. Police say that around 4 pm on Friday, T.K. Govindan of the Thaliparamba constituency got a call where he was put to with some verbal jousting and the kind of threats you don’t want to hear.
Mayyil police have a case open on it now. They’ve put a name to the caller and are moving forward with the law. You have two of these in as many hours and it makes for some nervousness among public representatives.
The story so far
According to the FIR, the one who called the DPCC to threaten the CM has more than one call to his name and has put on record a personal grudge against V.D. Satheesan. Once they had the number, they were on to him in Attingal.
There was also the matter of the officer being cussed out, which is what you’d expect to see in an investigation. What was said and in what order was enough to get a case filed and a search under way before the day was done.
In brief
Here is how things have played out:
– 6.50 and 6.53 pm: two calls to the DPCC
– Saturday morning: an arrest in Attingal
– Accused was not in his right mind, allegedly due to drink
– A 4 pm call to put the MLA on notice
– Police in the Kannur side of things have their man
More than just an arrest
When you have top officials being put to with threats, it’s a test of whether the state can stand up to intimidation and keep the system running. What we’ve seen in Thiruvananthapuram and the case in Kannur is meant to put minds at ease.
It’s also a reminder of how much we can do with a phone trace and a bit of coordination. From Friday to Saturday, the officers made a point of showing there is no room for this kind of talk.
Where we go from here
For the one from Attingal, it’s court time for a remand hearing, per the police. They’ll be looking at the calls, the way the officer was treated, and why he did it in the first place.
Over in Kannur, they’re taking the next legal steps now that they know who the caller is. All eyes will be on both of these to see if they make a difference and how fast they are wrapped up, considering who was involved.
For now, it’s a matter of procedure: get the remand, the call logs, and let the system do its work. How this is resolved will set the tone for any future run-ins like this.
