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Chintha Jerome, a state committee member of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)), has been booked along with 55 others in connection with a protest march held in Kollam district. The protest was organised against the alleged attack on State Health Minister Veena George.
According to reports, during the DYFI march held on Thursday, February 26, Chintha Jerome allegedly raised obscene, misogynistic, and provocative slogans.
Responding to the allegations, Chintha denied any deliberate wrongdoing and told the media that if such slogans were raised, they may have been the result of emotional reactions from some participants. “If any worker shouted slogans out of emotion, we know how to control it and we do so. If any inappropriate words were used, they were not repeated later,” she said. She reiterated her commitment to progressive and pro-women politics, stating that her ideological stance would remain unchanged.
Chintha also said that videos circulating on social media show only fragments of the protest and lack proper context. “This was a mass protest march, so emotional responses are possible,” she said, adding that slogans were corrected during the march to ensure they were not repeated.
She further emphasised that the alleged attack on the Health Minister should not be downplayed.
Veena George was allegedly attacked on February 25 during a protest at Kannur railway station by activists of the Kerala Students Union (KSU), the student wing of the Congress party. Following the incident, the Minister reportedly sustained injuries to her neck and remains under medical observation.
The KSU protest was organised in response to a medical negligence case at Alappuzha Medical College, where a doctor allegedly left mosquito larvae in a woman’s abdomen. The protesters demanded the Minister’s resignation and are accused of physically assaulting her during the demonstration.