KOCHI: Mr Eldho Abraham, CPI MLA from Muvattupuzha, was injured in a police lathicharge on CPI leaders and workers taking part in a protest march to the office of the Inspector-General of Police in Kochi on Tuesday. The MLA, who was taken to the General Hospital earlier, was shifted to a private hospital later.
The protest march was demanding the suspension of the Njarakkal circle inspector of police who, according to the CPI leaders, behaved in a partisan manner in handling the clashes between AISF and SFI activists in Vypeen Government College a few days ago. The police remained inactive when CPI district secretary P. Raju, while visiting injured AISF activists, was heckled by DYFI men.
This was also cited by CPI leaders as bad policing.
Mr. Abraham told reporters that there was no justification for the police action as the march was proceeding peacefully. Blaming the police for the ruckus, he said the incident was another instance of the lack of control on the police in the state.
The police, however, refuted the allegation and said that they resorted to lathicharge after the CPI workers tried to break the security cordon.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has asked the Ernakulam district collector to investigate the matter and submit a report following the complaint raised by CPI leaders.
