Congress legislator Shafi Parambil was on Tuesday roughed up by the Kerala police here when he was trying to calm down activists of the student wing of the Congress, the Kerala Students Union (KSU).
The KSU had called for a march to the Kerala Legislative Assembly to protest against the functioning of the Kerala University where allegations of manipulation in marks have surfaced.
The students were also protesting against the alleged botched investigation by the police into the death of two Dalit girls in Palakkad, leading to the acquittal of the accused last month.
KSU president K.M. Abhijith, who was leading the march, engaged in a heated argument with the police when water cannons were used to disperse the crowd.
Unable to contain the students, the police caned them and in the melee Shafi also came under attack, while Abhijith and a few others received injuries. Some of them were seen bleeding.
Hearing about the attack on Shafi, the Congress-led opposition protested in the Assembly and brought the House to a standstill and later boycotted the day's proceedings.
2019. #Kerala!
— Sneha Koshy (@SnehaMKoshy) November 19, 2019
Kerala police Vs KSU leader
During a protest/police-KSU clash. pic.twitter.com/zbDCLyfsvh
Later, the opposition legislators reached the local Police camp in the city where the injured were brought after arrest.
Shafil, who suffered an injury on his head, said had the Kerala Police shown this kind of dedication to their duty, the accused in the Dalit girls murder case would not have walked scot free.
"You (media) witnessed the manner in which we protested today (Tuesday). Nothing was done against the law, no vehicles were damaged or any destruction took place. We protested in the most democratic manner and yet they took us to task. We will continue to raise this issue both inside and outside the assembly," said Shafi.
The police however claimed that those injured in the protest refused to go to the hospital for treatment and hence they were removed from the Police camp.