Kerala HC grants bail to Congress worker accused in AKG Centre attack

Kochi (Kerala) [India], October 22 (ANI): Kerala High Court granted bail to a Youth Congress worker, Jithin V Kulathoor who was an accused in a case related to the attack on the state headquarters of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM).
The Crime Branch arrested Kulathoor on September 22 for allegedly attacking the AKG Centre. Kulathoor approached the High Court after Thiruvananthapuram Judicial Magistrate Court denied him bail in the matter. The bail was granted on Friday.
A bomb was hurled at the AKG Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, on June 30 and the incident was caught on CCTV camera, where a bike-borne man was seen hurling a bomb at CPI (M) headquarters in the city.
In the aforesaid case, originally registered at Cantonment police station at Thiruvananthapuram and then handed over to the crime branch, accused Kulathoor was booked under the Explosive Substances Act for causing an explosion likely to endanger life or property and for making or possessing explosives under suspicious circumstances.
The petitioner (Kulathoor) in the Kerala HC had contended, "prosecution version is a concocted story created by police due to the instigation and influence of the ruling party. No consistent case has been presented in remand applications. In order to attract offences under the Explosive Substances Act, the explosive substance alleged to be used should be of a nature that would endanger life or cause serious injury to property. The investigation has progressed considerably and there is no need for continued detention."
According to the initial investigation, the man, who threw the bomb came from the Kunnukuzhy side of the road and fled the spot.
The then CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had alleged the involvement of Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in the attack stating that they were "trying to provoke".
While Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President, K Sudhakaran, had slammed the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, saying that the AKG Centre attack was orchestrated to vandalise Congress offices in the state.
According to the Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan's statement, the attack had targeted the most important office of the state's largest political party with the intention to "provoke and disturb the peace" here. (ANI)