Fri Jan 10 16:24:17 UTC 2025: ## Kochi Corporation Council Disrupted Amidst Demands for Judicial Inquiry into MLA’s Fall
**KOCHI, January 10, 2025** – The Kochi Corporation Council meeting descended into chaos on Friday as United Democratic Front (UDF) opposition councillors disrupted proceedings, demanding a judicial inquiry into an incident where MLA Uma Thomas fell from a makeshift stage during a mass dance event at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium.
The UDF submitted a resolution calling for the inquiry, prompting a protest featuring slogans, placards, and blue ribbons – symbolic of the queue manager Ms. Thomas unsuccessfully attempted to grasp before her fall.
Mayor M. Anilkumar dismissed the Congress-led protest as “politically-motivated,” citing Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president K. Sudhakaran’s apparent satisfaction with the ongoing investigation and lack of a demand for a judicial inquiry. The Mayor further criticized the opposition for repeatedly disrupting council meetings, hindering discussions on crucial city issues. He stated that the corporation had already taken action against those responsible for dereliction of duty in connection with the event, including the suspension of a health inspector who failed to properly inspect the stadium despite denying a license application. He also noted that the organizers hadn’t paid entertainment tax and that the online ticket sales were under scrutiny.
However, UDF parliamentary party secretary M.G. Aristotle questioned why the corporation didn’t issue a stop memo for the event after the accident, highlighting inconsistencies in the timeline of the health inspector’s recommendations regarding the event’s licensing.
Congress councillor Deepthy Mary Varghese accused the Mayor of making inappropriate remarks during her speech, alleging they amounted to outraging a woman’s modesty and hinting at a potential complaint.
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