Case against ‘Mike’ for interrupting Kerala CM’s speech during condolence meet

Thiruvananthapuram: In a surprising turn of events during the condolence meeting of former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, eyebrows are being raised over an FIR filed against the owner of the sound system, Renjith, after a technical snag occurred while Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was speaking.

The police registered a case suo motu, as there were no specific complainants or accused parties, citing concerns about a possible security breach.

The incident took place at a hall in the state capital city, where the Chief Minister was the second speaker following State Congress President K. Sudhakaran. Just a few minutes into Vijayan's speech, a howling sound interrupted briefly, which was promptly fixed. The police have confiscated the entire sound system and will subject it to a scientific examination.

Renjith, the owner of SV Sound System, expressed surprise at being summoned by the police. He stated that he has been providing sound systems for public meetings, including high-profile events featuring Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for the past decade. This case is unprecedented, leaving him bewildered about the situation.

While the incident has sparked discussions on social media, with some dismissing it as a routine examination, others have raised questions about the need for such an investigation. The chief organizer of the condolence meeting and convener of the Congress-led UDF, M. M. Hassan, likened the situation to being unsure whether he was in Kerala or North Korea, expressing his dismay.

The police's move has drawn criticism from veteran trade unionist, leading lawyer, and former Lok Sabha member Thampan Thomas, who described their action as unjustified. Many have also raised concerns about the political angle, as sloganeering highlighting Chandy was evident in the hall just before Vijayan began speaking, potentially causing tensions with the CPI(M).

Amid the uproar, Leader of Opposition V. D. Satheesan took to Twitter, sarcastically praising the Kerala Police for being the first force in the world to file a case against a "Mike" (microphone) suo motu. He further ridiculed the severity of the case, suggesting it was a minor technical glitch lasting only ten seconds.