During protests against the arrest of Kerala Youth Congress President Rahul Mamkootathil, Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, VD Satheesan, alleged on Saturday that a young girl was subjected to a "brutal attack" by the police during the demonstration led by Youth Congress workers in Kannur on Friday.
Satheesan accused the Kerala Police, acting as an arm of the state government, of engaging in injustice and brutality towards the state's youth. He claimed that the police's actions against the young girl in Kannur were carried out at the behest of the Chief Minister.
The Congress leader's assertions came in the aftermath of the police's use of water cannon to disperse Youth Congress workers protesting the arrest of Mamkootathil.
On Saturday, the Youth Congress Ernakulam District Committee organized a protest march to the police commissioner's office, demanding the release of Mamkootathil.
Mamkootathil, the Kerala Youth Congress President, was arrested on charges of leading violent attacks during a recent march to the state secretariat. A local court in Thiruvananthapuram has remanded him to judicial custody until January 22.
The Youth Congress's march to the Kerala secretariat on December 20 allegedly involved attacks on the police and destruction of public property, according to the police. Congress leader Satheesan and Congress MLA Shafi Parambil were also implicated in connection with the violence during the march.
The protest aimed to spotlight alleged atrocities against Youth Congress workers during the state government's Nava Kerala Sadas program led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
