Thiruvananthapuram | Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday accused the Congress-led UDF government in Kerala of seeking to bring the state police under political control through the "unilateral" restructuring of associations.

In a statement, the former CM alleged that the government's move to reorganise police associations without consulting stakeholders was "highly undemocratic" and amounted to an attack on the organisational freedom of police personnel.

Claiming that police associations had been functioning in the state since 1979, Vijayan alleged that the government had dismantled the existing system in an "authoritarian manner" without consulting those concerned.

He criticised the reported replacement of democratically elected committees with ad hoc panels, saying it amounted to an unacceptable intrusion into the autonomy of the associations.

The CPI(M) leader alleged that the restructuring involved downgrading officers who had received grade promotions and splitting personnel holding the same rank into different associations, which, he claimed, would undermine the unity and morale of the police force.

Alleging that the government was trying to politicise the police and turn it into a force subservient to its interests, Vijayan demanded that the reported order be withdrawn immediately after consultations with all stakeholders.

His remarks came amid media reports that the UDF government had revamped the organisational structure of police associations by reducing the number of recognised bodies from three to two, resulting in the reported dissolution of the Kerala Police Officers Association.