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.