Vijayan govt faces heat over back-to-back assault allegations by Kerala police, Opposition stages protest

Thiruvananthapuram: The CPM-led Left Democratic Front government in Kerala is on the defensive with back to back allegations of police assault, that too from pro-CPM activists.

A video footage of Youth Congress local leader V S Sujith being roughed up at the Kunnamkulam police station in Thrissur district has literally opened a Pandora's box. Activists of CPM's youth wing Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and students' outfit Students' Federation of India (SFI) are among those who have already come out with allegations of police assault as well as inaction on their pleas to take action against the errant officers. Some errant officers were also given promotion by suppressing the adverse reports against them.

The opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front has launched a strong protest against the government over the issue. Protest staged by Youth Congress workers to the government Secretariat on Monday turned violent.

Opposition leader V D Satheesan questioned the silence of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who also holds the home portfolio, on the issue. Satheesan accused that the Chief Minister had lost control over the police department. He also reiterated the demand for dismissing the four police officials placed under suspension for the brutal assault on Youth Congress local leader Sujith at Kunnamkulam police station in 2023.

Sujith got the CCTV footage of the police station through RTI application and thereby brought to light the torture he suffered after questioning the police for abusing some local people.

Amidst the row over it, CCTV footage of a police official at Peechi in Thrissur repeatedly slapping and assaulting a hotel manager and staff in 2023 came out. The hotel owner K P Ouseph obtained the footage through an RTI application. It was alleged that then sub-inspector P M Ratheesh assaulted the hotel staff following a fake complaint by two customers and the hotel owner was made to pay Rs. 5 lakh as bribe to settle the case. After CCTV footage came out, the police higher-ups were initiating action against Ratheesh, who is now serving as circle inspector.

Causing more embarrassment to the CPM government, a former SFI leader and a DYFI activist from Pathanamthitta district also came out with allegations of assault they suffered in police stations. Even as SFI leader Jayakrishnan suffered the assault at Konni police station during the term of the previous Congress government, the CPM government in power neither initiated action against him and even gave promotions to the officer despite adverse reports against him. Hashim, a DYFI activist from Adoor in Pathanamthitta, alleged of assault at the Adoor police station by a circle inspector after a protest was planned against the officer for misbehaving with many local people.