A murder probe by the city police has led to the arrest and remand of 53 people, including the killer Madhuravoyil, in the last couple of days.
“The murder probe was a painful process. We had to arrest and remand 53 people. Two of them had assaulted the cops while others, members of the Revolutionary Youth Students Federation (RYSF), tried to storm the police station,” said a police official.
The series of arrests were triggered by the murder on Saturday night of 22-year-old newly wed Arun of Bagyalakshmi Nagar in Madhuravoyil by his intoxicated friend Parthipan.
The two, who were fish mongers in Vanagaram Market, quarreled while drinking at a bar, following which Parthhipan killed Arun. Parthipan them went underground.
“Initially we were not sure who murdered Arun, so we had to conduct inquiries in the Srilakhsmi Nagar neighbourhood. This seems to have upset some residents of the area.
Two of them assaulted our sub inspector and head constable who went to conduct the probe on Saturday night,” a police official said.
The two were taken to Madhuravoyil police station and arrested for assaulting police personnel on duty.
The issue snowballed on Sunday with more than 60 people gathering at the station demanding the release of the two.
After a round of talks with police personnel, the people dispersed only for 200 people, most of the RYSF, to gather there again.
The group tried to barge into the station to take away the two men. There was a scuffle and some stone pelting. A couple of police personnel and RYSF members were injured in the melee.
The agitating crowd dispersed by Sunday night but the police picked up 64 persons who were suspected to have indulged in the violence in the station premises.
RYSF has demanded the arrest of local officials who “led a murderous attack on their members who sought justice”.