Thiruvananthapuram: Five police officers, including the former gunman of ex-Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, have been suspended in connection with the alleged assault on two Youth Congress workers during a protest against him in Alappuzha in 2023, officials said on Tuesday.
The action was taken following a report submitted by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the UDF government soon after assuming office to reinvestigate the case, police said.
The seven-member SIT was headed by Superintendent of Police A P Shoukathali.
A police spokesperson confirmed the suspension of the five officers and said the state police chief had directed the SIT to complete the reinvestigation and submit its report within one month.
The development came shortly after the first Cabinet meeting of the UDF government, chaired by Chief Minister V D Satheesan, decided to order a fresh probe into the incident that took place during the Nava Kerala Yatra in Alappuzha.
A D Thomas, who won the April 9 Assembly election from the Alappuzha constituency, was among the Youth Congress leaders injured in the alleged attack.
Speaking to reporters after chairing the first Cabinet meeting, Satheesan said that when the case came before the court, the prosecution’s arguments were rejected and a reinvestigation was ordered. He alleged that despite the court directive, the previous Left government had failed to act on it for more than a year.
“Unfortunately, for the last one-and-a-half years, the government had not issued an order for reinvestigation. Therefore, the first Cabinet decided to constitute a Special Investigation Team to carry out the reinvestigation ordered by the court,” he said.
Responding to questions on whether the move was politically motivated, Satheesan said the government was only implementing the court’s directive, but added: “We do not forget anything.”
The alleged incident had sparked strong protests by the Congress both inside and outside the Assembly, with the party accusing the then CPI(M)-led government of suppressing public dissent.
With PTI inputs