<p class="rtejustify">Police atrocities in Kerala is back in focus after a 39-year-old man was severely injured after the police assaulted him in Aluva, near Kochi.</p>.<p class="rtejustify">Protests erupted near the Edathala police station against the incident. The victim, Usman, is from Kunchattukara. A case was registered against four police officers, including an ASI attached to the police station, in connection with the incident.</p>.<p class="rtejustify">According to Usman's relatives, about 5.30 pm on Tuesday, a car in which four police officers were travelling hit Usman’s motorbike near the Edathala Government School, leading to an altercation.</p>.<p class="rtejustify">The police team was travelling with a man accused in a Pocso (Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences) case. The policemen, all in civilian clothes, manhandled Usman and later took him to the Edathala police station where they assaulted him again.</p>.<p class="rtejustify">The assault left Usman with a broken cheek-bone and he has been admitted to a private hospital. A case has also been registered against Usman, accusing him of triggering the altercation.</p>.<p class="rtejustify">Protests against the police action that commenced late on Tuesday night continued on Wednesday with members of the Youth Congress also joining in.</p>.<p class="rtejustify">The incident has come at a time when the CPM-led Left Democratic Front government is facing tough questions on policing issues in the state.</p>.<p class="rtejustify">The death of 26-year-old S R Sreejith in Varappuzha in Ernakulam district in April, after alleged custodial torture, set off a series of protests against police atrocities in the state.</p>.<p class="rtejustify">Similar lapses in other cases have also morphed into a political plank with the Congress-led Opposition targeting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who also holds the Home portfolio.</p>
<p class="rtejustify">Police atrocities in Kerala is back in focus after a 39-year-old man was severely injured after the police assaulted him in Aluva, near Kochi.</p>.<p class="rtejustify">Protests erupted near the Edathala police station against the incident. The victim, Usman, is from Kunchattukara. A case was registered against four police officers, including an ASI attached to the police station, in connection with the incident.</p>.<p class="rtejustify">According to Usman's relatives, about 5.30 pm on Tuesday, a car in which four police officers were travelling hit Usman’s motorbike near the Edathala Government School, leading to an altercation.</p>.<p class="rtejustify">The police team was travelling with a man accused in a Pocso (Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences) case. The policemen, all in civilian clothes, manhandled Usman and later took him to the Edathala police station where they assaulted him again.</p>.<p class="rtejustify">The assault left Usman with a broken cheek-bone and he has been admitted to a private hospital. A case has also been registered against Usman, accusing him of triggering the altercation.</p>.<p class="rtejustify">Protests against the police action that commenced late on Tuesday night continued on Wednesday with members of the Youth Congress also joining in.</p>.<p class="rtejustify">The incident has come at a time when the CPM-led Left Democratic Front government is facing tough questions on policing issues in the state.</p>.<p class="rtejustify">The death of 26-year-old S R Sreejith in Varappuzha in Ernakulam district in April, after alleged custodial torture, set off a series of protests against police atrocities in the state.</p>.<p class="rtejustify">Similar lapses in other cases have also morphed into a political plank with the Congress-led Opposition targeting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who also holds the Home portfolio.</p>
