Kannur: The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the CPM's youth organisation, staged protests against Congress minister O J Janeesh at several places in Kannur and Kasaragod on Thursday, a day after Youth Congress and SFI activists clashed in Thiruvananthapuram.

Janeesh, the Minister for Sports, Youth Welfare, Registration, Museum, Archaeology and Archives and state president of the Youth Congress, was targeted by DYFI workers at Taliparamba, Payyannur and Nileshwaram as he travelled to Kasaragod after attending an Archaeology Department programme.

At Taliparamba, protesters stopped the minister's convoy and confronted the vehicle. Visuals from the spot showed protesters hitting the vehicle with their hands and what appeared to be stones. The vehicle's rain guard and flagstaff were damaged during the protest.

The protest continued in Payyannur, where DYFI workers again confronted the convoy.

In Kasaragod's Nileshwar town, DYFI workers waved black flags and jumped in front of the minister's convoy as it entered the market. Police resorted to a mild lathicharge to remove the protesters and clear the way. The convoy then encountered another group of protesters a few metres away.

The protest intensified at the Palace Grounds in Nileshwar, forcing Janeesh to remain inside his vehicle for some time. Police then used batons and arrested the DYFI protesters to clear the area. Security was tightened at venues where the minister was scheduled to attend programmes.

'Unacceptable': Satheesan hits out at CPM
The Chief Minister’s Office, in a statement, said the attack on the minister in Kannur was carried out with the knowledge of the CPM leadership. Those who attacked the minister and those who allegedly conspired to carry out the assault would be brought before the law, the statement said.

The CMO said the attack, allegedly carried out by DYFI-CPM workers, was unacceptable and alleged there were several attempts to target the minister’s vehicle earlier too.

According to the statement, the incidents reported in Payyanur and Taliparamba were a continuation of the attacks against former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy during his tenure.

The CMO also accused the CPM of attempting to create unrest in the state following what it called an 'electoral setback'. It said the CPM was using criminal and quotation groups to carry out protests and said the government had a responsibility to prevent such incidents.

The statement also questioned whether the CPM was targeting Janeesh over his role in leading Youth Congress protests against the BJP-led government and the Election Commission. The CMO warned that the CPM and DYFI should not assume that such incidents would continue unchecked.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala also spoke to Janeesh over the phone.

The protests came in response to Wednesday night's confrontation in Thiruvananthapuram, where Youth Congress and KSU workers clashed with SFI-DYFI activists near the Kerala University men's hostel during a march against the BJP-led Union government and demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Ironically, the Congress and the CPM are on the same side in their opposition to the CEC and the Union government.

Museum Police have registered separate cases against 80 Youth Congress-KSU activists and 80 SFI-DYFI activists in connection with the violence in Palayam.

Youth Congress workers alleged that SFI-DYFI activists threw stones at them during the march, while SFI-DYFI activists alleged that burning torches were thrown towards hostel inmates. Police resorted to a lathi charge to disperse the two groups. The SFI subsequently announced a statewide protest at educational institutions on Thursday against the police action.

Pinarayi's appeal for restraint
Against this backdrop but unrelated to violent protests, CPM politburo member and Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan called on party workers to stay away from violence, saying Kerala society had changed.

Speaking at the extended CPM Thiruvananthapuram district conference in Kovalam on Wednesday, Vijayan said society no longer accepted those who engaged in violent activities. Even if a situation arose in which a party worker had to act in self-defence, he said, the first move should not come from CPM workers.

Vijayan's appeal came with a rather different history behind it. During his tenure as Chief Minister, CPM and DYFI workers, as well as members of his security team, faced allegations of assaulting Youth Congress protesters who waved black flags at him and his ministers. He used the phrase “rescue operation” to justify such violent interventions.

In December 2023, Youth Congress and KSU activists who waved black flags at Vijayan's Nava Kerala Sadas convoy in Kannur and Alappuzha were assaulted by members of his security team and CPM workers. The incident eventually led to a court-directed investigation and, in 2026, a Special Investigation Team named five police personnel, including members of the former chief minister's security detail, as accused.

In the Kannur incident, CPM workers assaulted Youth Congress leaders with a helmet and flower pots. Pinarayi had described the intervention as an attempt to "rescue" the protesters from being run over by the bus.

Towards the end of his second term, KSU workers who waved black flags at then Health Minister Veena George at Kannur Railway Station were arrested and booked for attempt to murder. The hollowness of the charge got exposed during the bail hearing itself.

Janeesh did not miss the opportunity to take a dig at the CPM over the “rescue operation” remark.
Speaking to reporters in Kannur on Thursday, Janeesh said, "Wouldn't the situation be different had the police resorted to a rescue operation similar to those undertaken during the previous Pinarayi government?”.

The contrast was visible on Thursday: DYFI workers took to the streets with black flags (and even stones) to protest against a Congress minister in Kannur and Kasaragod. While the police intervened to clear the way for the minister's convoy, there were no reports of Youth Congress workers taking the law into their own hands or carrying out a “rescue operation” against the DYFI protesters.