After the alleged stone-pelting attack targeting Kerala health minister Veena George at the District Congress Committee office, party workers on Friday marched through Kannur city, staging a protest.
A ruckus broke out when Students’ Federation of India (SFI) activists marched to the DCC office and attempted to barge in, triggering clashes, visuals from ANI showed.
George was scheduled to return to the state capital Thiruvananthapuram from Kerala’s Kannur Railway station around 3.20 pm yesterday, when she was allegedly attacked during a ‘black-flag’ protest by the Congress’ Kerala Students Union (KSU,) who demanded her resignation.
Top points on Kerala protest
- Accompanied by Kerala speaker AM Shamseer, George was scheduled to return to the state capital Thiruvananthapuram from Kerala’s Kannur Railway station yesterday.
- Around 3.20 pm on Thursday, she was allegedly attacked during a ‘black flag’ protest organised by the Congress’ Kerala Students Union (KSU), which demanded her resignation.
- She was unable to continue her journey and was initially admitted to Kannur District Hospital. Later, she was shifted to Kannur Government Medical College Hospital in Pariyaram after persistent complaints of neck and hand pain.
- Party workers on Friday took out a march through Kannur city to stage a protest. A brawl broke out shortly after activists of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) allegedly attempted to barge into the DCC office, prompting police intervention.
- Ahead of the Assembly polls scheduled in a few months, CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP P Sandosh Kumar on Thursday termed the Congress “desperate”, alleging that the party, which has been out of power in the state for the past 10 years, was resorting to attacking even ministers.
- “The attack against Minister Veena George is really shocking, and she is hospitalised. Kerala is a place known for its political protests and dissenting voices — all of that is welcome. But at the same time, there must be a limit to everything. This is not acceptable to any of us. The whole of Kerala is against the UDF now,” ANI quoted the MP as saying.
- Kumar further alleged that the Congress-led opposition was “trying to divide society to recapture power with the help of some dangerous communal elements like Jamaat-e-Islami and SDPI.”
- Calling the episode a “drama”, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Sunny Joseph denied all allegations that George had been attacked.
“There is no evidence at all. The videos and visuals clearly show that there was no attack. Nobody touched her with any weapon or anything. No injury was sustained. This is a false and fabricated case. It is only a drama,” Joseph said.