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Kannur Oct 18 (IANS) A sitting councillor of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was arrested for allegedly snatching a gold chain from a 77-year-old woman at Koothuparamba in Kannur on Saturday.

The accused, P. P. Rajesh, who serves as the councillor of the fourth ward of the Koothuparamba municipality, was taken into custody on Saturday after a two-day police investigation.

According to the police, Rajesh has confessed to the crime.

The incident occurred on Thursday afternoon when the victim, Janaki, was alone at home.

The front door of the house had been left open.

While she was working in the kitchen, an unidentified man wearing a helmet suddenly entered, snatched the one-sovereign gold chain from her neck and fled.

Neighbours rushed to the house on hearing her cries, but the thief had already escaped.

Initially, no one recognised the suspect, who had concealed his identity with a helmet.

Investigators relied on CCTV footage from nearby houses and shops to trace the vehicle used in the crime.

The crucial footage led them to Rajesh, a sitting councillor, stunning both the local community and political circles.

Koothuparamba Police said the stolen gold chain was recovered from the accused.

Janaki and her family members reached the police station and identified her chain, and it was given back to her.

The case has triggered sharp reactions locally, with residents expressing disbelief that an elected representative was involved in such an offence.

The incident also comes at a politically sensitive time in Kannur district, considered a key bastion of the CPI-M.

Rajesh is currently in police custody and is expected to be produced before the court shortly.

Further investigation is underway to determine whether the accused was involved in any other similar incidents.

The arrest has sparked a political row, with opposition parties demanding stern action against the councillor and accountability from the ruling party.

–IANS

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Kolkata, June 10 (IANS) Five Left parties have written a joint letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, opposing the encounter killings of Maoist leaders in ‘Operation Kagar’ being carried out in the Chhattisgarh region.

In the joint letter on Monday, the five Left parties have written to the Prime Minister to put an immediate halt to the “extra-judicial” killings in the region around Chhattisgarh in the name of Operation Kagar.

“There are several reports that several senior Maoist leaders are currently in the custody of the security forces. We demand that they should all be produced in court and dealt with as per the rule of law,” the letter said.

In the letter, the five Left parties have argued that the normal lives of the tribal people in the region have been completely disrupted following the action by the security forces there.

“The Adivasi rights enshrined in the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution are being systematically violated and the forest and minerals of Chhattisgarh are being subjected to indiscriminate corporate exploitation with disastrous implications for environmental safety and livelihood of the local people. We urge upon you to stop this militaristic approach that treats the Adivasis with unmitigated hostility,” the letter added.

In the letter, the Union government has also been accused of not handing over the bodies of those killed in the encounters to their families and thus being denied a dignified farewell.

“The Maoists have repeatedly urged the government to consider their appeal for dialogue. Unfortunately, the Union government and the BJP-led Chhattisgarh government have chosen not to pursue a solution through talks. Instead they are following an inhuman policy of killings and annihilation,” the letter said.

According to the Left parties, the recent statements by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah too made it evident that the Union government was not ready to pursue a solution through talks.

–IANS

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