Congress leader Chenthi Anil arrested for waylaying Keralam CM Satheesan; to be suspended from party

The police have taken Anil Kumar, aka Chenthi Anil, member of the District Congress Committee (DCC), into custody in connection with an incident on Friday (August 28, 2026) where Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan’s convoy was allegedly blocked in the Sreekaryam police station limits in Thiruvananthapuram district.

The Sreekaryam police had registered an FIR against Mr. Anil on Friday. The Congress leader was taken into custody in the early hours of Saturday (August 29, 2026).

Thiruvananthapuram District Congress Committee president in-charge N. Sakthan told The Hindu that Mr Anil would be suspended from the party today itself.

Rejecting Mr Anil’s charge of the police action against him being part of the factional feud within the Congress, Mr Sakthan said no factional split exists in the DCC. “How come no one else felt like waylaying the Chief Minister and argue with his entourage? There’re no factional issues in the party now and maybe he [M Anil] had a problem with the Chief Minister,” he added. 

Mr. Anil, along with a group of people, had allegedly blocked the Chief Minister’s convoy and misbehaved with him for declining to attend the Sree Narayana Guru Jayanthi celebrations planned at Chenthi. Mr. Anil was reportedly part of the organising committee for the event.

The incident had occurred when Mr. Satheesan was on his way to the Sree Narayana Gurukulam at Chempazhanthy for the jayanthi celebrations planned there on Friday evening. Near Kazhakuttam, a group of people which included Mr. Anil had waved the convoy down and protested. They had allegedly misbehaved with the Chief Minister when he got down from the car to speak to them.

The Chenthi event was not part of Mr. Satheesan’s official schedule for Friday. Sources in the Chief Minister’s Office said the Chief Minister had been advised against attending the event based on intelligence inputs and that his office had informed the organisers a week ago that he would be unable to attend.

Anil denies charges

Mr. Anil has reportedly denied the charges against him.

The police have charged the Congress leader under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections for wrongful restraint, intimidation and obstructing public servants from performing their duty.

Mr. Anil is expected to be produced in court later today (Saturday).