Abdul Nasser Madani, the President of People’s Democratic Party who was accused in the Bengaluru Serial Blasts of 2008, is set to travel to Cochin in Kerala under police protection. Madani, along with his wife and other companions, will take a flight at 6:15 pm today, reaching Cochin at 7:20 pm. From there, he will head to Sasthamkotta in Kollam district. The Karnataka Police has deployed one PSI, three PCs, and a driver for Madani’s security during his stay.
Madani had appealed to the Supreme Court to travel to Kerala citing his father’s illness, and permission was granted on April 17. However, the Bommai government had set a security cost of Rs 60 lakh for one month, which Madani couldn’t afford. He finally paid Rs 6,76,101 to the Karnataka Police for 12 days of staff expenses and service charges. Madani will be staying in Kerala until July 7 and will return to Bangalore thereafter.
The Karnataka Police have informed the Kerala Police to provide necessary security in the background of Madani’s departure. Nonetheless, Madani’s detention and release have been subject to controversy, with some alleging that the entire case was politically motivated. Moreover, the decision of the Supreme Court to allow his travel has been contested on the basis of his involvement in a series of bombings that killed two people in Bengaluru.
