KOZHIKODE: The political conflict in Perambra has sharply intensified after a violent clash between party workers and police on Friday, leading to the registration of cases against a total of 1,184 individuals.
The police have booked 692 persons, including UDF MP Shafi Parambil and Kozhikode DCC president Praveen Kumar, primarily for attacking officers on duty. A separate case was registered against 492 LDF workers for unlawful assembly and disrupting public traffic.
The violence erupted in Perambra town during demonstrations organised by the UDF and the LDF following a dispute over the results of the Perambra CKGM College Union elections. Later, clashes took place between activists of the UDF, LDF, and the police. The UDF leaders said that Shafi suffered a nasal injury during the confrontation and was admitted to a hospital in Kozhikode.
“Shafi Parambil has undergone emergency surgery for a fractured nasal bone,” said MLA T Siddique, who confirmed that Shafi requires five days of rest. “This is a direct assault on our democracy and our sitting representative,” Siddique added.
However, Kozhikode Rural SP Baiju K E countered the UDF’s narrative, denying that Shafi was injured in a police lathicharge. This denial prompted the Congress to immediately circulate visuals on social media allegedly showing Shafi being beaten up by officers.
The FIR against Shafi, Praveen Kumar, and 692 UDF workers, including identified persons like P K Ragesh and Azees Master, alleges that the activists “caused violence and harmed police personnel on duty with weapons like stones,” resulting in multiple charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) related to assault and disruption of public duty.
Similarly, a case has been filed against the LDF workers in connection with the violent incidents on Friday. LDF workers K Sunil, K K Rajan, Parandi Manoj, S K Sajeesh, M P Babu, Santhosh Sebastian, K Kunhammed Master, Vinod Thiruvoth and other identifiable 492 LDF workers have been booked for unlawful assembly disrupting the vehicle traffic and conducting the rally on Kozhikode-Kuttiady Road till Perambra bus stand.
Meanwhile, CPM Kozhikode district secretary M Mehboob blamed Shafi Parambil for the escalation. “The attack on police was carried out after Shafi came to the scene. This is an approach of declaring war on the police. Shafi was approaching the police and creating a provocation. There needs to be an atmosphere of peace in Perambra,” he said.
Meanwhile, DySP Hariprasad and 10 other police personnel were injured in the melee, with the DySP seeking treatment for a hand injury.
The investigation continues as authorities work to identify all individuals named in the two separate FIRs related to the political unrest in Perambra.
