KOCHI: The police unleashing a vicious lathicharge against CPI leaders and workers taking out a march to the office of the Inspector General of Police in Kochi, seeking suspension of circle inspector of Narakkal police station, is expected to vitiate further the relationship between CPM and CPI, the leading constituents of the ruling LDF.
Eldho Abraham, CPI MLA from Muvattupuzha, amongst the injured in the police action, castigated the police and said the few recent incidents in the state including the lathi-charge are examples of the collapse of police administration.
Apart from lathi-charge, the police also fired water cannons at the marchers near the IG office. The police stopped the march led by Ernakulam district secretary P. Raju and other leaders with barricades near the IG office.
Police says they were compelled to use force as activists tried to break the security cordon and storm the IG office, while CPI leaders claimed police action was unprovoked. Around 200 workers, including women, took part in the march.
The police claimed that the marchers attacked them inflicting injuries to officers including assistant commissioner K. Lalji and sub-inspector Vipin Das who needed bandaging on their hands. The Muvattupzha MLA, beaten on his back with lathis and admitted to a hospital, said his hand was fractured.
The march was for suspension of the Njarakkal circle inspector, for allegedly behaving in a partisan manner, in the clashes between AISF and SFI activists at Vypeen Government College last week.
They accused the CI of remaining as a 'mute witness' while the DYFI and CPM activists blocked the vehicle of Mr Raju when he visited injured AISF activists on the same day.
Mr Raju has already lodged a complaint with the Police Complaint Authority against erring officials.
