Thiruvananthapuram:
The Kerala assembly on Monday witnessed noisy scenes and heated exchanges over police action on opposition party workers protesting against the government decision to impose ₹2 cess on fuel.
After acrimonious scenes when opposition and ruling party members rushed to the well of the house, Speaker A N Shamseer adjourned the assembly. It all began after Congress legislator Shafi Parambhil introduced an adjournment motion saying police were given a free hand to suppress the protest of opposition party workers and even women activists were not spared. He said many workers of the Youth Congress were held under preventive custody fearing black flags against CM Pinarayi Vijayan.
“A male police officer attacked a woman activist in Kochi and later verbally abused her. In Kasaragod policemen escorting the CM hit a worker from the moving car and he was undergoing treatment for serious head injuries in Mangaluru. Police brutality has crossed all limits. If the CM is so sacred of black flags he should sit home,” Parambhil said while moving the adjournment motion. He also said the left front government in Kerala was reduced to a “Malayalam version of Modi government at the Centre”. He also narrated how he was attacked by a police inspector at Kalamassery police station in Ernakulam district.
But the CM said police resorted to action only when they were attacked. He said in Kalamassery Youth Congress workers were baton-charged when they tried to enter the police station and six cops were also injured. Later 12 workers were arrested and a case was lodged against them. He said he was not scared of black flags but Youth Congress workers were charging towards his speeding vehicle to create problems. He ridiculed Youth Congress activists saying that it could employ only one or two members to wave black flags at scattered places.
At this point opposition leader V D Satheesan asked if there were only one or two persons why the police took many activists into preventive custody before the CM’s visit at several places. “When the CM travels it is becoming a big public nuisance as police block all vehicles randomly,” he said adding no CM had moved around in so many vehicles and big convoy of police.
But Vijayan said the CM’s security was not decided by him and police carry out necessary arrangement according to rule books. “My security arrangements were made by a security review committee comprising state and central officers. This committee will meet every six months to review arrangements,” he said. He said he was given Z-plus security like the Governor and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi.
There were heated exchanges between the opposition and treasury benches and the Speaker had to warn the ruling party members after they disrupted the opposition leader. Later opposition members stormed out of the house after Speaker refused their adjournment motion following the reply of the CM. Some of the young legislators of the Congress came to the house wearing black shirts. Media was not allowed to shoot proceedings and they were asked to take visuals from the assembly-run channel.