Case against cops in Kerala for assaulting man

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Protests against the police action that commenced late on Tuesday night continued on Wednesday with members of the Youth Congress also joining in.

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.

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.

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.