Case registered over microphone howling during Vijayan’s speech dropped following CM’s intervention

PTI, Jul 27, 2023, 8:25 AM IST

A row has erupted in Kerala over a case registered by the police over the malfunctioning of a microphone, which interrupted the speech of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for a few seconds during a recent programme organised to commemorate the life of late Congress stalwart Oommen Chandy.

The Cantonment police, which recorded the statement of the microphone operator and confiscated his equipment, including the amplifier and cable used during the programme, later ended further proceedings following instructions from the chief minister, an official source told PTI.

The highly-placed source said when Vijayan came to know about the suo motu police action on the matter, he directed the cops to drop further proceedings.

The police later handed over the equipment back to the local microphone operator.

Earlier, a senior police officer said that no complaint was received about the malfunctioning of the microphone, but the case was registered as per instructions from higher-ups.

The commemoration programme was organised on Monday evening at the Ayyankali Hall here by the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) to commemorate Chandy who died in Bengaluru last week.

The case was registered under Kerala Police Act Section 118 (e) for causing danger to the public or failure in public safety.

The police said the registration of the case was just a technical matter. Police said they were directed by their higher-ups to confirm if the malfunctioning of the microphone during the CM’s speech was due to any technical snag. A police officer said it was just a technical procedure and there was no need for any controversy.

”If it is found during the examination that the malfunctioning of the microphone was a technical fault, the issue will be over there,” he had said.

The officer also rejected reports that appeared in a section of media that a case had also been registered against the Congress workers who raised slogans supporting the late Chandy during Vijayan’s speech.

”No such case was registered till this morning,” he added.

Meanwhile, Renjith, the local microphone operator who supplied equipment during the commemoration programme, said microphone howling was just normal (feedback when the microphone is too close to the loudspeakers or when the volume is too high) and it was resolved within a few seconds.

He expressed surprise at knowing that a case had been registered over the matter.

”I felt like laughing when I heard about the case for the first time. I have been in this profession for years and it is my first such experience,” he said.

He said he had supplied sound equipment for various VVIP programmes, including those of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Renjith also confirmed that his statement was recorded by the Cantonment police in this regard and they had promised to return his equipment after examination.

The case drew widespread criticism on social media and became a hot topic for trolls.

”Please arrest the microphone,” one of the comments, widely shared on social media platforms, read.

The case also triggered a war of words between the ruling CPI (M) and the opposition Congress.

When CPI (M) state secretary M V Govindan and Central Committee member A K Balan responded cautiously without rejecting the case, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan and senior Congress leader M M Hassan came out harshly criticising it.

Govindan said the case would take its own course, while Satheesan asked the police whether they were joking.

”Are you guys joking, @kerala police? You got to be proud that Kerala Police is the first force in the world to file a case against a ”Mike” suo moto. Ofcourse it’s a gravest violation of public order if a 10 sec technical glitch happens in the mike when @pinarayi vijayan is speaking,” Satheesan tweeted mockingly.

During the commemoration programme, slogans were raised by the crowd in support of Chandy, as Chief Minister Vijayan walked up to the podium and even prevented him from commencing his speech for a few seconds.

Only after some Congress party leaders gestured to the crowd to stop, did the sloganeering end and Vijayan was able to start his address. The CPI(M) sources claimed that all such developments indicated that there was a deliberate attempt to create controversy when the chief minister attended the programme.

”Ever since the chief minister was invited to Chandy’s commemoration function, there had been a conscious effort on the part of the Congress leaders to create controversy. It is to be suspected that the things that happened in Ayyankali Hall was the continuation of it,” a CPI(M) source told PTI. Slamming the chief minsiter, KPCC chief K Sudhakaran called him a coward who is afraid of even a microphone.

”The microphone operator stated that the problem occurred when the journalists who were in front of the commemoration venue were recording footage, and it was resolved within 10 seconds. Still, the chief minister is handling the issue with political blindness. Kerala Police will not miss any opportunity to please Pinarayi Vijayan,” he alleged.