Attack on fast-food outlets: Court asks for case diary

A district court in Palakkad on Wednesday asked the police to produce the case diary regarding the probe into the attack on two food outlets last month to ascertain the Maoist links of the two arrested youths.

The court issued the directive when the arrested youths, Sreekanth Prabhakaran, a B.ed student, and Arun Balan, a journalist student, moved bail applications. They were allegedly involved in the attack on the outlets of McDonald and KFC in Palakkad on December 22. Arrested on the same day, they were charged under various sections of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

The court observed that if the police could not find evidence for the arrested youths’ links with Maoism, the case would not attract charges under UAPA. Otherwise, it would be offence under IPC 427 (causing damage to property).

Police had told the court earlier that they were members of an eight member gang had attacked food outlets under the leadership of a “comrade.’’ However, police could not find any other member of the gang despite questioning the arrested youths for two weeks in police custody.