Congress march to Kerala State Police Chief’s office turns violent; KPCC president hospitalised

Kerala Congress leaders, including KPCC president K. Sudhakaran, attacked by police with tear gas and water cannons; Congress calls for torch-lit demonstrations in protest.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K. Sudhakaran and a few other Congress leaders were among those hospitalised when the State police fired tear gas shells and discharged water cannons to disperse Congress protesters who marched to the police headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram on December 23.

Mr. Sudhakaran had to be evacuated from the makeshift protest stage by Congress workers after he complained of uneasiness when tear gas smoke engulfed the area. He was soon hospitalised to a private hospital along with Jeby Mather, MP, Chandy Oommen, Anwar Sadath, MLAs, and a few others.

The KPCC president termed the police action arbitrary and unjustifiable. He said the police fired tear gas shells at party leaders at the forefront of the march. “There was no provocation. I had just finished my speech when the tear gas shells landed. The smoke caused suffocation,” Mr. Sudhakaran said.

The Congress demonstration against the alleged police excesses against its workers during the course of the Navakerala Sadas outreach programme descended into chaos soon after Mr. Sudhakaran concluded his speech.

Party workers began to climb the barricades erected near the police headquarters and attempted to force their way past the security cordon. The police contingent soon adopted an aggressive stance to fire nearly 10 tear gas shells in quick succession towards the protesters. Jets of water were also sprayed on the activists, prompting them to retreat towards Manaveeyam Veedhi and Vellayambalam.

The police action, which visibly took the Congress leaders by surprise, brought an abrupt end to the protest meet. Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan had to conclude his address and scramble for safety along with the others in drenched clothes.

Mr. Satheesan alleged the police action aimed at endangering the Congress leaders was done at the behest of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, whom he accused of unleashing violence throughout the Navakerala Sadas programme. The State Police Chief has handed over the control of the police to the CPI (M) and has become a mute spectator without any control over the force, he added.