THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: On Thursday, a member of the Youth Congress was detained by the Crime Branch police, over three months after the CPI-M headquarters in this city was attacked with a "cracker."

The Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo yatra, which has gained notoriety since it reached the state on September 11, was called out by the Congress party as being nothing more than a ruse to divert attention from it.

The police investigation team has been questioning Jithin, a local Youth Congress member who is affiliated with the Attipara party branch outside of Thiruvananthapuram, since Thursday morning.

The Left Democratic Front convenor and seasoned CPI-M leader E.P. Jayarajan alleged that the Congress party was responsible for the so-called "bomb" attack that the CPI-M claimed occurred on June 24. This sparked a significant uproar within the Congress party, which vigorously refuted the accusation. After a few weeks had gone, the state government led by Pinarayi Vijayan came under scrutiny for not being able to find the offender.

This "assault" gained a lot of attention on social media, and a tonne of humorous trolls also surfaced, which placed the normally quick-thinking Kerala Police on the back foot. 

Shafi Parambil, a three-time member of Congress and president of the Youth Congress, retaliated against the CPI-M and the police on Thursday for escalating the drama around the detention. "This arrest is nothing more than a ruse designed to divert attention from the Rahul yatra, which is attracting daily attention in the state and has alarmed the CPI-M. This custody is nothing more than a staged ruse by the CPI-M, who are well known for committing such acts, "Parambil said.

In any case, Jithin was detained by the police shortly after the incident in June and released after extensive questioning. In all likelihood, Jithin will appear before a local court later on in the day, according to informed sources.

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