A Congress leader was detained after allegedly stopping the convoy of Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan during an official visit in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. The incident occurred while the Chief Minister was travelling to Chempazhanthy to attend a programme marking the birth anniversary of social reformer Sree Narayana Guru. A group of Congress workers gathered on the route, urging Satheesan to also attend a separate event organised at Chenthi. Video footage from the scene showed the convoy being halted briefly before the Chief Minister stepped out of his vehicle and engaged in a heated discussion with District Congress Committee (DCC) leader Anil Kumar.
According to police, Anil Kumar allegedly obstructed the convoy, questioned the Chief Minister in an aggressive manner, and interfered with officials performing their duties. A case was subsequently registered against him under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including charges related to wrongful restraint, criminal intimidation, and obstructing a public servant from carrying out official responsibilities. The Chief Minister’s office maintained that the Chenthi programme was never part of his official schedule, and therefore there was no change in his planned itinerary.
Anil Kumar denied the allegations, insisting that neither he nor his supporters blocked the convoy. He claimed the confrontation stemmed from internal groupism within the Congress party and criticised the Chief Minister’s handling of the situation. Several local Congress leaders also came out in his support, arguing that party workers had gathered only to welcome Satheesan and remind him of an earlier invitation to their event. They described the arrest as unnecessary and maintained that no disrespect or deliberate obstruction had taken place, while the incident has reignited discussions over factional politics within the Kerala Congress unit.
