Kerala Assembly disrupted after heated exchange between UDF, ruling front over police action against YC workers

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Assembly was on Monday disrupted for several minutes following a shouting match between the ruling Left Front and the opposition UDF after the latter moved an adjournment motion to discuss the alleged police brutality recently against youth wing workers of the Congress and IUML.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan opposed the motion saying that the Youth Congress (YC) workers were lathi-charged by the police and arrested at Kalamassery in Ernakulam district recently as they had attacked the police with sticks and stones.

"Six Civil police officers and six YC workers were injured in the violence. They were also provided medical aid. Twelve YC workers were arrested and a case has been lodged against them," Vijayan said in the House.

The CM also said that a case was also lodged against Youth Congress state president Shafi Parambil and some others for allegedly trying to forcibly enter the Kalamassery police station and prevent the officers from discharging their duties.

The Congress-led UDF, on the other hand, claimed in the adjournment motion moved by Parambil and some other MLAs that the YC workers were attacked from behind by police and denied that they had thrown sticks and stones at the police.

The opposition also accused the Left government in Kerala of being a Malayalam version of the Narendra Modi regime at the Centre.

In view of Vijayan saying that the issue raised by the opposition was not serious enough to adjourn the House, Speaker A N Shamseer denied permission for the same.

However, during the walkout speech by Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan, the ruling front MLAs started shouting and despite repeated directions by the Speaker, they did not sit down in their seats.

This led to UDF legislators trooping into the well of the House and raising placards, banner and slogans in front of the Speaker's dais.

As both sides refused to follow the repeated directions of the Speaker to resume their seats, he stopped the House proceedings for nearly half an hour.

Thereafter, the proceedings recommenced and the LoP was allowed to continue his walkout speech.

The opposition was protesting against the preventive detention of its party's youth wing workers during Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's recent visits to various districts in the state.

It also claimed that police had "cruelly attacked" protesting Youth Congress activists in Kalamassery in Ernakulam district of the state.

Several Youth Congress activists and some policemen suffered injuries when the march taken out by the workers, demanding the rollback of fuel cess and other tax proposals in the state budget, turned violent on February 21.

With inputs from PTI