Kochi: Activists of the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) are being kept in preventive custody and attacked wherever Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is touring in the name of Nava Kerala Sadas, Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan said here on Monday.
He said the police and the 'criminals' in CPM have been encouraged by the chief minister who justified the attack on Youth Congress activists who staged a black flag protest against Vijayan in Kannur.
"Is Vijayan a king to keep everyone in preventive custody? Even pilgrims en route to Sabarimala were arrested from Feroke. The Sabarimala devotees wearing black dress are unable to get out of their houses when the chief minister passes by their areas. The chief minister gets provoked at the sight of black. It's not right to keep everyone in preventive custody. The government should stop it," the Congress leader said.
He also listed out the police excesses in connection with the Nava Kerala Sadas, a pan-Kerala outreach tour being taken out by Vijayan and his cabinet colleagues.
"Our workers were taken into preventive custody in Vadakara without any provocation. Police are creatring tension deliberately. The workers were released only after the chief minister left. UDF chairman Kottayail Radhakrishnan was followed and attacked by a group of people with lethal weapons. His car was vandalised and he could escape only because he drove his car to the SP office," he said.
He said the deputy police commissioner tried to kill Youth Congress activist by strangulating when he staged a black flag protest against the attack on Radhakrishnan.
He compared the incident to the murder of George Floyd , an African-American man who was strangulated to death by a white police officer in Minneapolis, the US.
He said school buses were still being used for Nava Kerala Sadas despite a High Court order against it. Booth level of officers who are supposed to enrol voters are forcefully deployed for the conduct of Nava Kerala Sadas.
