CPI(M) leader M M Mani courts controversy once again    

Idduki(Ker), Feb 24: Causing embarrassment to CPI(M) once again, controversial senior party leader M M Mani has allegedly made offensive remarks against a woman principal of a local polytechnic and also threatened police officials, following which a case has been registered against him.

Police have registered cases against Mani and three others under various sections of the IPC and Kerala Police Act for allegedly using filthy language, rioting, unlawful assembly and not taking prior permission to hold the meeting, top police sources said.

Mani, while addressing party workers at Cheruthony here on Saturday, had made the controversial remarks against the Principal of Painavu polytechnic, the Sub Inspector of the town and some other police personnel at the venue.

"Though the principal has not filed any complaint so far, we have verified video clippings of the offensive speech after which it was decided to register the case," the sources said.

Mani was speaking at the meeting organised to protest the police action in registering cases against two SFI students of the polytechnic. Some SFI students had organised an agitation in the polytechnic some days back to express solidarity with the JNU students.

However, except them, none others took part following which there were skirmishes between different groups of students, after which police registered cases against the two SFI students.

To protest against this, Mani had organised a meeting in which the offending speech was made. Mani had earlier courted controversy after his speech in 2012 that CPI(M) in Idukki district in the 1980s drew up a list of rivals to be eliminated and had killed three of them.

After his public utterances brought huge embarrassment to the party, he was removed as Idukki district secretary by the state committee.

PTI