LDF organizes Keralam assembly runout due to police action in university hostel

DYFI activists marched towards Cantonment Sub-Inspector Gokul Gopan police station residence in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday protesting against the alleged attack on Government College Hostel students | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) staged a walkout from the Kerala Legislative Assembly on Monday after Speaker Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan rejected its announcement of a motion to postpone the alleged attack by Youth Congress workers on a university hostel on September 30 and the subsequent police action. The Speaker refused to allow the adjournment motion on the basis of Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala’s statement.

The House witnessed dramatic scenes as CPI(M) MLA V Joy, who moved the motion along with CPI MLA K Rajan and RJD MLA PK Praveen, picked up the broken end of the baton allegedly used by the police to beat students at the Youth Hostel. The spokesman ordered the patrol and the department to collect the baton for examination. LDF MLAs held up pictures of police action and injured students as Mr Joy spoke.

Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan said the Kerala police should not be used in a manner similar to the way Delhi police are being used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to quell protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of vote-stealing. Mr. Chennithala said the Youth Congress was marching against Mr. Gyanesh Kumar when the SFI activists jeered and threw bottles from inside the hostel, leading to a confrontation between them. Police officers who tried to bring the situation under control suffered injuries. Cases have been registered against 75 activists from SFI and Youth Congress, he said.

Mr. Vijayan argued that the fact that the protest led by Sports Minister OJJaneesh started outside a hostel from where no protest was ever organized indicated an element of planning. “The only justification for the attack on the hostel is that there was a power cut and the students inside were taunting. How can it be a provocation for the Youth Congress to throw burning torches into the hostel? The fire brigade had to be deployed to put out the fire. Students suffered head injuries in the police action. Youth Congress activists even blocked the ambulance in which the Gyms were injured. student and youth organizations may not be on this issue on opposite sides,” he said.

Going soft on the BJP

Mr. Vijayan alleged that the state police was soft on Sangh Parivar and BJP activists due to attacks on Congress offices and also incidents where ministers were black-flagged or stopped on the road and forced to go to their offices. “Cantonment CI and SI went to the SFI district secretary’s house and threatened. They made statements on social media and even invoked the name of the home minister. The minister must wonder how they got the courage to do that,” he said.

Mr. Chennithala said directions have been issued to investigate allegations of police officers posting on social media. Action will also be taken against the police officer who allegedly assaulted DYFI activists who were protesting against Mr. Gyanesh Kumar in Palakkad in a drunken state on Sunday. “The police under our government is the same as it was during the last ten years of the LDF government. We have not given them any special instruction or training. In the last ten years, there have been several incidents of police force pouncing on the Youth Congress. You have been protesting against this government since day one without allowing us even a honeymoon,” Mr. Chennithala said.

Published – 12 Oct 2026 17:33 IST