Thiruvananthapuram: The arrest and remand of Congress Tiruvananthapuram District Committee (DCC) member Chembil Anil for allegedly blockading Chief Minister V.D. Satheeshan’s vehicle has brought the internal groupism in the Congress to the fore, with the incident coming against the backdrop of earlier disputes involving V.D. Satheeshan, K.C. Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala over the chief ministership.
Anil, who had reportedly put up flex boards in support of Chennithala during those disputes in the first couple of weeks of May, 2026, was arrested on August 28 after the Chief Minister’s vehicle was allegedly blocked.
The immediate dispute reportedly arose when the Chief Minister skipped the Sree Narayana Gurudev Jayanthi programme in Chenthi and set out for Chembazhanthi to participate in the Gurudev Jayanthi programme there. The programme in Chenthi was apparently organised by Chenthi Anil. The Chief Minister alighted from the car, and according to reports, the CM and Anil engaged in arguments.
Later, however, the Chief Minister’s Office clarified that Chenthi Anil’s programme was not included in the CM’s schedule. Anil was denied bail and remanded. He has also been suspended from the Congress party.
The arrest subsequently triggered criticism from within the Congress. Another DCC member, Suhail Shajahan, told the media on August 29 that Congress workers should not be arrested when Congress is in power. He described Chenthi Anil’s arrest as deplorable and said the arrest of Congress workers and leaders under Congress rule was not acceptable.
Shajahan also questioned whether the Congress was not a democratic party and said there should be freedom of expression within the party. He added that when he contacted the Chief Minister’s Office on August 28, he was told that the case would not be registered.
Suhail Shajahan also wondered whose interest was behind the arrest and remand. He put forward a new version of the incident, saying that the ‘blockaders’ had come there to ‘greet’ the Chief Minister.
However, reports suggest that Chembil Anil is not an ‘innocent’ Congress leader and that police have classified him as a rowdy-sheeter, with multiple criminal cases pending against him.
According to the official police remand report submitted before the court, Sreekaryam Police, a police station in Tiruvananthapuram city, maintain Chenthil on their active “rowdy list”. He is reported to be a registered accused in at least six criminal cases spanning multiple jurisdictions, including Sreekaryam, Thumba and Medical College Police Stations. The offences involve allegations of threatening and physically attacking people.
The police report also highlights his past controversial ties with local Tiruvananthapuram gang leaders and says that he had hosted them at his personal residence.
The latest incident is also being viewed in the context of the groupism within the Congress. Political observers state that Chenthil Anil and his team had erected flex boards in support of Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala when disputes were going on between V.D. Satheeshan, K.C. Venugopal and Chennithala regarding the chief ministership during the first couple of weeks of May, 2026.
Therefore, there are people who believe that the blockade of the Chief Minister’s vehicle was part of the groupism in the Congress party.
