Police use force on those protesting against CM

A Youth Congress protest march to the secretariat demanding the resignation of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over LDF MLA P V Anvar's allegations against top IPS officers in the state turned violent as police used water cannons on the protestors and lathicharged them. State vice-president of the Youth Congress, Abin Varkey, was surrounded by police personnel and brutally beaten, causing injuries to his head, according to visuals shown on TV channels.

Varkey, who was seen bleeding from his head due to the beating, refused to leave the protest site for the hospital and demanded action against a certain police officer. Several other YC activists were injured in the police action. While Varkey refused to budge from the site, YC state president Rahul Mamkootathil was forcibly removed from the area and put in a police bus before being taken away despite protesters' efforts to prevent it. Mamkootathil alleged that Vijayan, Sasi and the ADGP have turned the secretariat into an underworld hub.

The agitated Youth Congress workers were pacified by Congress leaders, including KPCC chief K Sudhakaran, who arrived at the scene and assured them that the police who selectively targeted them would be dealt with by the Congress in the same manner on the streets. Varkey was subsequently shifted to a hospital. Prior to the area outside the secretariat turning into a battle zone, the YC activists had shouted slogans against the Left government, Vijayan, his political secretary P Sasi, and ADGP (law and order) M R Ajithkumar.

Condemning the police lathicharge against the Youth Congress workers, Sudhakaran alleged that the police, who have a strong bias towards the CPI(M), were deployed to deal with the protest march. Sudhakaran also demanded that action be taken against the police officer who led the brutal assault on the Youth Congress workers. Coming down heavily on the Left government, Congress Working Committee member Ramesh Chennithala warned the police, "We will make you pay for every blow." Chennithala expressed shock at seeing Abin Varkey being beaten on channel visuals, saying, "As a former Home Minister, my head is bowed in shame at how low the police have stooped." The senior Congress leader also sought the immediate suspension of all police officials "who led and unleashed such a brutal attack". Meanwhile, the Congress state unit has called for a statewide protest against the lathicharge.

On Wednesday, the Youth Congress had held protests in various parts of Kerala demanding the CM's resignation in connection with the allegations by Anvar against Sasi and some top IPS officers in the state. The Congress party will carry out a protest march to the secretariat on Friday on the same issue.