Political tensions mount in Keralam’s Adoor over police station attack

The row over the alleged attack at the Adoor police station has intensified, with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] and the Communist Party of India (CPI) stepping up their agitation and demanding action against district panchayat member Sreenadevi Kunjamma and other Youth Congress workers named as accused in the case.

The political situation in the region remains tense, with feeder organisations of the Left parties, including the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and All India Youth Federation (AIYF), holding separate protests over the incident. The CPI(M) has decided to launch an indefinite satyagraha in Adoor from November 9, which will continue until action is taken against the accused. The CPI, meanwhile, has announced plans to intensify its protests in the coming days. The agitation has gathered pace amid reports that Ms. Kunjamma and the other accused are preparing to move anticipatory bail applications.

The police had registered a case in connection with the incident, which took place on July 11, but named Ms. Kunjamma and the other Youth Congress workers as accused only after protests over the alleged delay in the investigation. As Ms. Kunjamma is an elected representative, the police are likely to serve her a notice before proceeding with her arrest.

The controversy relates to an alleged attempt by a group of Youth Congress workers to assault YouTuber Rajan Joseph while he was being brought to the police station in connection with a defamation case. Though the police had registered a case, the investigation made little progress until CCTV footage of the incident surfaced publicly a few days ago.

The footage purportedly identifies Youth Congress leader Fenni Nainan among those involved. It also shows Ms. Kunjamma, who recently switched from the CPI to the Congress, entering the police station and confronting the person held in the lock-up.