Union minister Alphonse Kannamthanam, meanwhile, said that TP Senkumar is not part of BJP and that a Malayali should be happy when a fellow Malayali gets an award.
A day after former State Police Chief TP Senkumar came out with derogatory comments for conferring the Padma award on former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan, a human rights activist has lodged a complaint with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. In his complaint, Nouashad Thekkeyil said that Senkumar has humiliated the nation with his remarks against Nambi.
“Senkumar has humiliated the judiciary also through his remarks," the petition read. It also sought to a probe into it and take action, reports Mathrubhumi. The Chief Minister’s office, however, said that the complaint could have been mailed and they haven’t go through it yet.
Senkumar on Saturday flayed the announcement honouring Nambi, who was falsely implicated in the ISRO espionage case, and even went on to say that if the trend goes on, even a rapist can be conferred with the award. "If this goes on, next year, we might hear about Govindachamy and Mirul Islam (rape and murder convicts) and Mariam Rasheeda (another falsely accused in the ISRO espionage case) getting Padma awards,” Senkumar said.
In an open fight with the LDF government, after he was unceremoniously removed as the State Police Chief, Senkumar associated with the right-wing in the state.
Meanwhile, Union Minister for state Alphons Kannanthanam lashed out at Senkumar for the latter’s remarks, saying that a Malayali should be happy when a fellow Malayali gets an honour.
"Senkumar is not part of the BJP. He has the right to say anything. Malayalis should rejoice together when a fellow Malayali gets rewarded. But Malayalis usually tend to pull a fast one on each other when something nice happens to one of them. That is a problem with the DNA," he reportedly told the media in Kochi.
Nambi Narayan has been conferred the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in the country. The scientist was falsely accused of selling state secrets comprising confidential test data from rocket and satellite launches. He was arrested in December 1994 and charged with espionage. However, in September 2018, he was cleared all charges against him.