Two arrested in connection with attack on Muthoot Finance company MD in Kerala

Two persons were arrested on Wednesday in connection with the attack here on the managing director of Muthoot Finance company, a day before.

The arrested have been identified as Salim, 52, a resident of Kaloor and Sasikumar, 54, a resident of Palluruthy. The City Central police have registered a case against them under Sections 324 and 427 of the Indian Penal Code.

The company's managing director George Alexander, 64, who suffered head injuries, has been admitted to a private hospital and is stable, police said.

The incident occurred yesterday in the heart of the city while George Alexander was on his way to the headquarters of his company on Banerjee Road. He was injured when the car in which he was travelling in was pelted with stones, the company had said.

The attack comes in the backdrop of an ongoing protest by a section of the company's employees who have been agitating against the Muthoot management's dismissal of 160 people from the company's 43 branches across the state in December. The protest is being held under the leadership of CPIM trade union (CITU).

While the Muthoot management alleged that CITU people were behind the attack, the union leaders have maintained that they have no role in the incident.

"The employees were protesting peacefully. Violence is not part of their protest. I don't think any of the Muthoot employees attacked the MD. However, it was the management of the company which had always provoked them by not implementing the decisions taken at conciliatory meetings," state Labour Minister T P Ramakrishnan said, reacting to the incident.

CITU leader Ananthalavattom Anandan told reporters that they do not believe in violent protests.

The secretary of the Non-Banking Finance Company Employees Association, C.C. Ratheesh said, "We were all at the venue of the strike and we have nothing to do with the attack on Alexander," he said.

Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court on Tuesday directed the police to chalk out modalities for providing protection to the employees who had been granted police protection by the court.