Kannur (Kerala) | Senior CPI(M) leader P Jayarajan on Wednesday clarified that he had neither criticised nor objected to the LDF government’s decision to appoint senior IPS officer Ravada A Chandrasekhar as the new state police chief.

Jayarajan claimed he fully supported the appointment and alleged that a section of the media had distorted his remarks to suggest otherwise.

Speaking to reporters in Kannur, Jayarajan accused the right-wing media of consistently portraying CPI(M) leaders in a poor light.

“The government's decision was based on merit. I have not raised any objection to it,” he said.

However, Jayarajan evaded questions from the media on whether Chandrasekhar had any role in the Koothuparamba firing, in which five Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) activists were killed decades ago.

His clarification came a day after senior party leaders, including CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan, asserted that Chandrasekhar had no role in the incident.

The CPI(M)-led LDF government appointed Chandrasekhar, a 1991-batch IPS officer from Andhra Pradesh, as Kerala's new police chief on June 30.

His appointment sparked internal differences within the party over the murder charges he once faced in connection with the 1994 Koothuparamba police firing.

Five DYFI activists were killed during a protest against the then Cooperation Minister M V Raghavan, opposing self-financing educational institutions. In 2012, the Kerala High Court quashed the murder charges against the police officials, including Chandrasekhar.

Shortly after the appointment, Jayarajan had indirectly expressed displeasure, saying, "This decision was administrative, not political."

However, state secretary Govindan defended the move, reiterating that the appointment was made purely on merit.