Thodupuzha: Bilal Samad, general secretary of the Idukki district unit of the Youth Congress, has lost vision of one eye in a police lathi-charge which took place last week.
Bilal had taken part in a march organised by his organisation at Thodupuzha on last Tuesday during which the police had resorted to the baton-charge.
After Bilal was injured in one eye in the police action, he was rushed to a private hospital at Angamaly. He now has 28 stitches at three spots on his eyelid. According to doctors, Bilal is likely to regain vision only after regular treatment for at least a year. However, there is no certainty that he would see again with his injured eye, they added.
Youth Congress had taken out the march in protest against the assault on C P Mathew, president of the District Congress Committee (DCC) in Idukki, allegedly by workers of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of the CPM.
DCC chief suffers fracture
Meanwhile, K Praveen Kumar, DCC president of Kozhikode, suffered a major fracture on his left arm during a police station march taken out by the Congress. Praveen is presently undergoing treatment at a private hospital at Pantheerankavu in Kozhikode.
The march was in protest against the widespread attacks unleashed by CPM workers on Congress members and properties. Praveen had inaugurated the march to the police station at Feroke. However, the police blocked the march with barricades near Pettah bus stop.
When Congress activists tried to remove the barricades and move towards the police station, the police used a water cannon on them. Pradeep took a heavy blow of water from the cannon and fell on the road, during which his arm was broken. Doctors said that surgery would be carried out to set the fracture right.
