Case against former Kerala police chief for threatening journalist

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Cantonment police have registered a criminal case against former state police chief T P Senkumar on the charges of threatening and intimidation.
Cantonment police registered a case based on a complaint by journalist K Rasheed, who petitioned that Senkumar and others used abusive language against him during a news conference at the press club in the capital on January 16.
Police registered the case under Section 506 and 34 of the IPC against Senkumar, former BDJS leader Subhash Vasu and eight others. Under Section 506, whoever commits the offence of criminal intimidation shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or both.
The incident happened when Senkumar and Vasu held a news conference at the press club with allegations of corruption against SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan and his son Thushar Vellappally. During the news conference, Rasheed, who was among journalists attending the conference, asked Senkumar why he did not probe Vellappally’s deeds when Senkumar was state police chief. Rasheed also sought response regarding opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala’s statement that choosing Senkumar as the police chief was a mistake.
Responding to this, Senkumar rudely asked him whether he was a journalist and whether he consumed alcohol and asked him to go out of the hall. Seeing this, some of those who came with Senkumar tried to force Rasheed out of the venue when other journalists intervened in the issue.