THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Mounting pressure on the government on the ongoing custodial violence row, the two opposition MLAs have entered into an indefinite satyagraha at the legislative assembly demanding the dismissal of the police officers who beat the Youth Congress leader Sujith at Kunnamkulam. Congress MLA of Chalakkudy Saneesh Kumar and Muslim League MLA of Manjeshwaram AKM Ashraf will be on strike.
Opposition leader VD Satheesan mentioned about the strike before staging a walkout with other UDF MLAs in today’s assembly session.
Following a fiery debate on the ongoing custodial violence row, the opposition staged a walkout after VD Satheesan announced about the strike. The discussions, which went on for over two hours, saw Satheesam mentioning that if the CM behaves like Stalin, his actions would be questioned.
“The government’s stand has always been to protect criminals, which is also supported by the CM,” Saneesh Kumar said after beginning the strike. Though we mention today’s police stations as ‘Janamitri’, these places still remain as torture rooms for people.
Manjeswaram MLA AKM Ashraf remarked that though allegations of police beatings were there during all governments, such brutal incidents in this modern era, in visual form, have not been seen before.
The assembly debate saw Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan reiterating that officers engaging in custodial violence will not be protected. Calling Kerala Police the best force in the country, the CM said that 144 police officers were dismissed from the service in the last 9 years.