Senkumar asks journo to leave press meet, KUWJ seeks apology

Former State DGP T P Senkumar sparked a row on Thursday by asking a senior journalist to leave a press conference addressed by him, prompting the Kerala Union of Working Journalists to seek an apology from the ex-IPS officer.

The journalist, later in the evening, filed a complaint against Senkumar, Subhash Vasu, an office bearer of the Sree Narayana Dharama Paripalana Yogam, and other unidentified persons for attempting to assault him and throw him out of the press meet.

The SNDP is a powerful outfit of the backward Ezhava community in Kerala.

"We strongly condemn the attitude of the former DGP and his companions. The journalist, who is already under medical treatment, was working despite his bad health.

We pledge all our support to the journalist and seek strong action againstSenkumar. He must also tender an apology," the KUWJ said in a release.

Senkumar and Vasu had called the press meet to expose alleged corruption by Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogamchief Vellappally Natesan.

However, when the journalist, Kadavil Rasheed, asked Senkumar why he had not investigated Vellappally during his tenure as state DGP, Senkumar became agitated and asked for the scribe's name.

"Tell me your name first...Are you a journalist? Leave this place. I am addressing journalists here," Senkumar was seen telling the scribe.

The former DGP also asked Rasheed ifhe was drunk.

"Are you drunk? You are behaving like that," Senkumar said.

Suddenly some people, suspected to be Senkumar's supporters who were inside the press conference hall,went up to Rasheed and asked him to move out of the room and started pushing him.

However, things cooled down when other journalists intervened and protested against this behaviour.

Recently, the leader of the opposition in the state assembly Ramesh Chennithala said he regretted appointing Senkumar as DGP during the tenure of the previous Congress-UDF government.