Chandys Pongala wishes granted

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The police cases against 11,000 women who performed the Attukal Pongala in the jurisdiction of Fort and Thampanoor police stations were struck down as the  Judicial First Class Magistrate Courts (JFCMC)(2) and (3) here accepted the refer reports filed by the sub-inspectors of both the stations on Tuesday.Both the reports state that Attukal Pongala, a famous religious ritual, and the women devotees had not created any problems for the public, as March 7, the day of Pongala, was declared a public holiday by the state government.The cases against the women were registered suo motu by the sub-inspectors of Thampanoor and Fort  police stations for obstructing traffic and for violating the High Court order. On Monday evening, the sub-inspectors filed two refer reports in the JFCMC suspending further proceedings in the cases. As the reports about the case created a furore on Monday, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had accepted it as a lapse on the part of the police and directed the DGP to withdraw the case.   Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP)(Law and Order) V C Mohanan had been suspended subsequent to the preliminary  inquiry report submitted by the DGP.