Pinarayi Vijayan seeks action over alleged hostel clash involving police and Youth Congress

CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan has urged Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala to take stringent action over what he described as an orchestrated attack involving Youth Congress workers and police at a university hostel in Thiruvananthapuram. In a letter to the minister, Vijayan alleged that the Youth Congress deliberately began a march from the hostel rather than from its customary protest locations, creating conditions for violence. He claimed that about 200 people surrounded the hostel carrying machetes, stones and beer bottles, and that flaming torches were thrown at the premises.

He also alleged that video footage showed Youth Congress workers, including the organisation’s district president, throwing stones towards the hostel. According to Vijayan, neither the Youth Congress leadership nor the police intervened to stop the alleged attacks. He further claimed that police later entered the hostel by breaking open the gate without the warden’s permission while attempting to restore order.

Vijayan alleged that Students’ Federation of India activists were assaulted during the police intervention. He said SFI state secretary P.S. Sanjeev, who had gone to the scene to calm students at the direction of senior police officers, was beaten.

He also claimed that three students suffered serious head injuries and that nearly 40 others were assaulted. An ambulance carrying injured students was allegedly stopped by the attackers, he said. Vijayan criticised police for allegedly failing to apply non-bailable provisions of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act against Youth Congress leaders accused of damaging public property.

At the same time, he said, cases under non-bailable provisions were registered against CPI(M) leaders Kadakampally Surendran and V. Joy after they protested against the alleged police excesses.