Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday declared in the Assembly that no police officer guilty of wrongdoing would be shielded and that stringent action would be taken against such individuals.
His remarks came in response to a scathing attack by the opposition Congress-led UDF over a string of alleged custodial torture incidents in the state and its demand that Vijayan relinquish the Home portfolio.
Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan pressed the government to clarify whether it would dismiss police officers accused of beating up a Youth Congress activist at Kunnamkulam police station in 2023. Dissatisfied with the CM’s response, the opposition boycotted the day’s remaining proceedings and walked out of the House.
Satheesan announced that until the government removes the accused officers from service, UDF MLAs Saneesh Kumar and Ashraf would stage an indefinite ‘satyagraha’ outside the Assembly hall.
Earlier, during an adjournment motion moved by Congress legislator Roji M John from Angamaly, the opposition alleged that the Chief Minister’s practice of treating police misconduct as isolated incidents had led to the “downfall” of the Home Department. John accused police officials with close ties to the CM and the ruling CPI(M) of operating with impunity. Other UDF legislators, including Satheesan, echoed these allegations in a debate lasting over two hours.
Ruling front MLAs countered by claiming police atrocities had been more rampant under previous UDF governments.
Responding, Vijayan argued that the police in India, including those in Kerala, had historically continued the anti-people stance adopted during British rule, but that Kerala had changed course when a new government was formed. He asserted that most police personnel in the state had adopted new policies, although some still adhered to outdated practices.
“Wrong acts by such persons will not be accepted or justified by the government. They will not be protected and stringent action will be taken against them. That is our stand,” the Chief Minister said.
He added that this approach was evident from the removal of 144 officers for misconduct or corruption during the LDF’s nine years in power, a scale of action, he claimed, unmatched by the UDF or any other state.
Vijayan warned against using isolated incidents of misconduct to tarnish the image of the entire police force for “temporary political gains.”
However, Satheesan countered after Vijayan’s speech that the CM had still not stated whether the officers who allegedly assaulted the Youth Congress activist would be dismissed. “We are boycotting the House proceedings and two of our MLAs will be on an indefinite satyagraha outside the doors of this hall,” he said.
During his address, Satheesan cited several alleged instances of police brutality, comparing Kerala police stations to “gulags of the Stalinist era” in the Soviet Union. “If the CM is going to act like Stalin, his actions will be questioned,” he said.
The opposition had raised the issue during Zero Hour, weeks after CCTV footage surfaced allegedly showing the torture of Youth Congress leader Sujith at Kunnamkulam police station two years ago. The UDF sought to suspend all other House business to discuss police atrocities, a move accepted by the ruling LDF.
With PTI inputs