KOCHI: Police on Wednesday registered cases against a CPM area committee leader and 19 others for damaging properties at Karuvelipady Government Hospital during an attack on KSU members of Cochin College, Mattancherry.
Thoppumpady police registered three cases against left activists for attacking KSU activists, and police officials, and disrupting medical practitioners from performing their duties.
The trouble started after KSU swept the union election at Cochin College winning all seven seats. As part of the victory celebration, flex boards of KSU were installed on the campus premises. The violence started when KSU candidates were all set to take oath as college union office-bearers on Tuesday afternoon. KSU activists were attacked by SFI members on the college premises and later at Ammayimukku in Mattancherry in the afternoon.
The injured KSU activists Al Ameen, Muhammad Nafeed, Riswan and Ramzi were later admitted to Karuvelipady Hospital.
At 8.25 pm, a group of 19 persons led by CPM area committee leader Riyad, of Thoppumpady, barged into the hospital and attacked KSU activists admitted to the hospital.
Some of the KSU victims were assaulted and kicked by the accused persons. Soon, a police team reached the place and tried to bring the situation under control. However, the accused persons turned against police officials and assaulted them. A sub-inspector-ranked officer was injured in the attack.
When hospital authorities tried to intervene, the accused assaulted them as well. The patients and bystanders panicked and called the police control room for help. The accused persons also broke a glass door of the hospital. “We have registered three cases based on the complaint of a KSU activist, police sub-inspector and duty doctor at the hospital. We have recovered footage from CCTV cameras installed on the hospital premises. Non-bailable case was charged against 20 persons. Some of them have to be identified. The accused will be summoned and their arrest will be recorded,” a police officer said.
Meanwhile, Congress activists on Wednesday took out a protest in front of the office of the Mattancherry assistant commissioner of police.
The protesters demanded the arrest of the accused, and an impartial investigation into the incident. As police arranged security cover near the college, no further violence was reported on Wednesday.