George Floyd-style police assault echoes in Kerala amid protests against K T Jaleel

The police assault that led to the death of George Floyd in America is now echoing in Kerala, as a picture of a police man squatting over an activist who tried to block a minister is going viral.

Many have criticised the police action by citing it as one similar to the police brutality on George Floyd.

In the controversial picture, a policeman can be seen sitting on top of an activist lying on a road. It could be learnt that it was a Youth Congress activist, who was among those who tried to stage protest against Kerala higher education minister K T Jaleel, who is facing allegations linked to Kerala gold smuggling.

While the minister was traveling from his home at Malappuram to Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, there were widespread protests against him. One such protest was at Angamaly in Ernakulam district. In a bid to ensure that the Youth Congress worker remained under his control until the minister's vehicle crossed the locality, the police personnel allegedly squatted on the activist, Congress activists alleged.

Former MLA and AICC secretary P C Vishnunath said that the police action on the Youth Congress worker resembled the police action on George Floyd. The police was not protecting the people, but protecting the corrupt.

While the state police was yet to make any formal clarifications on the incident despite widespread criticism, a senior police officer, who preferred not to be quoted, said that the police personnel fell while trying to block the Youth Congress activist and incidentally the police personnel fell over the activist at the time of clicking the picture.