Thiruvananthapuram: Youth Congress vice president Abin Varkey was brutally thrashed by the police in front of the Kerala secretariat on Thursday during a protest seeking Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s resignation.
Youth Congress workers were protesting across Kerala and the state capital to press for CM Vijayan’s resignation over allegations of phone tapping and gold smuggling against an Additional Director General of Police (ADGP).
It was during this protest that Abin Varkey was beaten by a Sub Inspector (SI) and a few other policemen.
“This particular SI, Jiju, is a fellow traveller of the youth wing of the CPI(M). It was he who singled me out and hit me. You can check social media posts where he can be spotted in the company of leading CPI(M) youth wing leaders. If the police think they can end our protests by using force, they are mistaken. I will not go to hospital unless he is removed from here,” said Varkey.
The Youth Congress is demanding the resignation of CM Vijayan after a Left-supported independent legislator, PV Anvar, alleged that the ADGP in charge of Law and Order, Ajith Kumar, was indulging in shady deals, including tapping politicians’ phones and gold smuggling.
PV Anvar equated the ADGP to a notorious “criminal” who has “modelled” himself like fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim.
Anvar also slammed the political secretary to Vijayan, P Sasi, for supporting Ajith Kumar.
Incidentally, the Youth Congress protests across the state went off peacefully, but things got out of hand in the state capital.
For an hour, it was a free-for-all between the protesters and the police, and the cops used water cannons seven times.
After that, Varkey was severely mauled by the police, and despite suffering severe injuries with blood streaming down his face, the youth leader was adamant that he would not seek medical treatment unless the erring official was removed.
Hearing about the brutal attack on Youth Congress workers and leaders, Kerala Congress President K Sudhakaran arrived at the state secretariat.
“It was Varkey who made the first complaint, and he has been targeted. The Congress party will now take over this protest and wish to remind all that we will take on those erring police officials on a personal level,” said an angry Sudhakaran.
Later, Sudhakaran ensured Varkey was moved to the hospital and left the venue.
On Friday, the Congress party will stage a secretariat march demanding the resignation of Vijayan, who they accuse of shielding Ajith Kumar as the cop allegedly has a storehouse of secrets about the CM.
Senior Congress leader and UDF Convenor MM Hassan said the Congress party will support Anvar if he needs it.
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–IANS
