Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 10 (PTI) After the CPI(M) alleged forgery of a BJP councillor’s signature in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation council attendance register, UDF parliamentary party leader (civic body) K S Sabarinadhan on Saturday raised questions about possible manipulation of official records.
In a Facebook post, Sabarinadhan said the attendance register obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act contained an entry on page 24 showing a council meeting held on March 11 at 10.30 am, while records of the council meeting on March 5 were missing.
He questioned whether the attendance register officially provided by the corporation authorities under the RTI Act was itself fabricated.
He also wondered whether the attack on UDF councillors and the seizure of the attendance register during a council meeting in June were intended to prevent the alleged irregularities from coming to light.
Sabarinadhan said the UDF would urge the government and the State Information Commission to investigate the alleged forged signature as well as the suspected manipulation of official records.
The controversy comes after the Museum police registered a case against Mayor V V Rajesh, councillor K Sugathan and the corporation secretary following a complaint by CPI(M) councillor S P Deepak.
Deepak alleged that Sugathan’s signature had been forged in the attendance register for council meetings held on February 26, March 11 and April 27 this year.
Sugathan had reportedly gone absconding before being arrested under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA) in connection with multiple criminal cases.
The FIR alleged that the accused conspired to forge Sugathan’s signature in the attendance register.
Prolonged absence from council meetings could lead to disqualification under relevant provisions of the Kerala Municipality Act, officials said.
Rajesh has denied the allegation of forgery and issued a legal notice to Deepak.
The mayor claimed that photographs were available showing Sugathan attending the council meetings.
The LDF on Friday staged a protest at the corporation office, demanding Rajesh’s resignation.
The BJP came to power in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation in last year’s local body elections, ending the LDF’s 45-year rule.
The corporation has 101 wards, and the BJP currently holds a narrow majority of 51 councillors.
Meanwhile, the BJP on Saturday carried out a protest march to the Museum police station, demanding the withdrawal of the case against Rajesh and Sugathan.
Inaugurating the protest march, Thiruvananthapuram City District President Karamana Jayan assured that the BJP will protect the Mayor at any cost.
He said that Deepak and Sabarinadhan, who are from opposing political fronts, are united to gain power in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.
“How is it that when a complaint regarding a fake document came up, the Museum police immediately registered an FIR? The Museum police station here is currently operating as headquarters for the Congress. BJP is demanding that the case registered against the Mayor of Thiruvananthapuram city must be quashed,” he said. PTI TBA TBA ROH
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