Kerala CPI-M MLA takes law into own hands, frees man from forest officials' custody

Pathanamthitta, May 14 (IANS) In a brazen display of highhandedness, CPI-M legislator K.U. Jenish Kumar on Wednesday stormed into a Forest Department office in Konni, his constituency, and forcibly freed a man taken into custody by forest officials.

The two-time MLA not only verbally abused the officials but also issued threats of violence.

Video footage of the incident has sparked outrage, showing Kumar threatening the officials with a ‘Naxal’ attack and warning that the forest station would be set on fire if such actions continued.

His conduct, marked by open defiance and aggression, has shocked forest personnel and the public alike.

What has further raised eyebrows is the presence of police personnel accompanying Kumar during the incident. Despite witnessing the legislator’s intimidation and illegal act, the police officers reportedly did nothing to intervene.

Kumar was reportedly enraged after forest officials detained a man working for a pineapple cultivator.

In Kerala, it is common for landowners -- especially those with rubber plantations -- to lease their land for pineapple farming, typically as an intercrop over three years while rubber saplings mature.

Parts of Konni, Kumar’s constituency, border forested areas and frequently face wildlife intrusion, particularly by elephants.

In response, many farmers erect electric fences to protect their crops. Recently, one such fence led to the electrocution and death of a wild elephant.

Following the incident, forest officials took into custody a man associated with the pineapple farm where the incident occurred. It was this individual whom Kumar forcibly released, bypassing legal procedures.

Forest officials have expressed deep concern over Kumar’s conduct and are particularly distressed by the inaction of the police during the episode.

The incident has sparked demands for accountability and reinforced concerns about political interference in law enforcement.

--IANS

sg/skp