A local Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader in Malappuram of Kerala has alleged that he was attacked by ruling CPI(M) workers at the office of a village panchayat in the north Kerala district, the visuals of which went viral on social media platforms. Sawad Alipra, the Wandoor assembly constituency convenor of AAP and an RTI (Right to Information) activist, alleged that he was assaulted at the Mampad panchayat office by a group of people led by CPI(M) leader and president of the panchayat Srinivasan on the evening of Sunday, August 7. As the visuals went viral on social media, several people criticised the ruling party workers over the incident.
Sawad, a former local secretary of the CPI(M) before joining the AAP, said he went to the panchayat to know the status of two complaints that he had filed earlier regarding some local issues. "I was beaten up on my face and dragged at the office without any provocation. They kicked me out of the gate," he told TV channels on Tuesday.
He said one of his party colleagues, who accompanied him, managed to take the visuals of the assault in his mobile phone and otherwise the incident would not have come to public attention. He also said a complaint was lodged with the Nilambur police in this regard. When contacted, Nilambur police said that a case has been registered based on the complaint of Sawad and an investigation is going on.
In the 15-seconds-long visual, which has been posted on the Aam Aadmi Party Kerala’s Facebook page, Sawad is seen being pushed out of a building and attacked. Further, the person who attacked Sawad takes notice of the person recording the video of the attack, and moves towards them to attack them too.