Thiruvananthapuram | Five police officers who were part of the security detail for Pinarayi Vijayan when he was Kerala CM were suspended in connection with the alleged assault on two Youth Congress workers during a protest against him in Alappuzha in 2023, officials said on Tuesday.
The action follows a report submitted by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the UDF government soon after assuming office to reinvestigate the case, police said.
The seven-member SIT was headed by Superintendent of Police A P Shoukathali.
A police spokesperson confirmed that five policemen, including the former CM's gunman, had been suspended, adding that the state police chief had directed the SIT to complete the reinvestigation and submit its report within one month.
The move came soon after the first Cabinet meeting of the UDF government, chaired by Chief Minister V D Satheesan, decided to order a reinvestigation into the incident that occurred during the Nava Kerala Yatra in Alappuzha.
A D Thomas, who won the April 9 Assembly election from the Alappuzha constituency, was among the Youth Congress leaders injured in the alleged attack.
Speaking to reporters after chairing the first Cabinet meeting, Satheesan said that when the case came before the court, it rejected the prosecution's arguments and ordered a reinvestigation. He alleged that despite the court order, the previous Left government had failed to act on it for more than a year.
"Unfortunately, for the last one-and-a-half years, the government had not issued an order for reinvestigation. Therefore, the first Cabinet decided to constitute a Special Investigation Team to carry out the reinvestigation ordered by the court," he said.
Asked whether the move was part of a political vendetta, the chief minister said the government was only implementing the court's directive, but added: "We do not forget anything." The alleged incident had triggered strong protests by the Congress both inside and outside the Assembly, with the party accusing the then CPI(M)-led government of suppressing public dissent.
Thiruvananthapuram | The CPI(M) on Tuesday criticised the UDF government's action against five police officers who were part of then Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's security detail, accusing the Congress-led dispensation of initiating "revengeful measures."
Hours after the five officers—including Vijayan's gunman—were suspended for allegedly assaulting Youth Congress workers during an official programme of Vijayan's in 2023, the CPI(M) demanded that the "revengeful measures" initiated immediately after the UDF government came to power be stopped without delay.
Chief Minister V D Satheesan defended the suspensions, stating that the action was taken based on the findings of a Special Investigation Team.
The CPI(M) State Secretariat alleged that even before the UDF Cabinet formally assumed office, retaliatory measures had already begun.
It claimed that employee transfers were carried out based on instructions written on the letterheads of right-wing unions, triggering widespread protests.
"As part of this, action has been taken against police officers who were performing their duty in preventing attempts to attack the vehicle of the then CM and other ministers," the party said, adding that using such issues for political revenge whenever a government changes is not appropriate.
The CPI(M) said there was nothing wrong in politically disagreeing with the Nava Kerala Sadas or the LDF government, and that democratic protests were also acceptable.
"However, what happened there was not of that nature. The Z-category security provided to the CM is not decided by the state government. When the Left government came to power, it decided that only pilot and escort security were necessary. Later, based on IB recommendations, Z-category security was provided," the release said.
Earlier in the day, five police officers from Vijayan's security detail were suspended in connection with the alleged assault on two Youth Congress workers during a protest against him in Alappuzha in 2023.
The action follows a report submitted by an SIT constituted by the UDF government soon after it assumed office to reinvestigate the case, police said.
The seven-member SIT was headed by Superintendent of Police A P Shoukathali.
The move came after the first Cabinet meeting of the UDF government, chaired by Satheesan, decided to order a reinvestigation into the incident, which occurred during the Nava Kerala Yatra in Alappuzha.
A D Thomas, who won the April 9 Assembly by-election from the Alappuzha constituency, was among the Youth Congress leaders injured in the alleged attack.