Kozhikode violence: Case against 700, including MP Shafi Parambil, UDF to hold statewide protest today
A total of 692 people, including Kozhikode DCC president Praveen Kumar, are booked in the case.
A total of 692 people, including Kozhikode DCC president Praveen Kumar, are booked in the case.
A total of 692 people, including Kozhikode DCC president Praveen Kumar, are booked in the case.
Kozhikode: Police have registered a case against Congress MP Shafi Parambil and several UDF-LDF workers in connection with the violent clashes that erupted during rallies staged by both fronts in Perambra here on Friday.
A total of 700 people, including Kozhikode DCC president Praveen Kumar, have been booked in the case. According to the FIR, the protesters face charges including rioting, obstructing public paths, assault or use of criminal force to deter a public servant from performing their duty and causing hurt to public servant under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections of 189 (2), 189 (3), 191 (2), 3, 285, 132, 121 (1) and 190.
PK Ragesh, Sathyan Kadiyangad, Rajan Maruthery, Azees and KK Vinodan are the other Congress leaders booked in the case.
The clash left multiple Congress and LDF workers injured after police resorted to lathicharge and fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Shafi Parambil reportedly sustained two nasal bone fractures and underwent surgery at a private hospital in Kozhikode.
Condemning what it termed police brutality, the UDF announced a statewide protest on Saturday. A mass protest meeting will be held at Perambra around 3 pm.
Friday night violence
The violence stemmed from a hartal called by the Congress to protest Thursday’s police action against its leaders and Kerala Students’ Union (KSU) activists following clashes over the college union election at the CKGM Government College, Perambra.
In the elections, the Students Federation of India (SFI), affiliated with the CPM, won 15 seats, while the KSU–MSF alliance secured five. However, the bloc bagged the chairperson's post, sparking clashes between rival groups that later spread to Perambra town.
After the hartal ended at 6 pm on Friday, both Congress and CPM organised rallies alleging attacks on their respective leaders. When the two groups came face-to-face near the Perambra bus stand, police intervened. When the confrontation escalated, police resorted to lathicharge and used tear gas to restore law and order.
Videos from the scene showed Shafi Parambil with a bleeding nose, while several senior Congress leaders were also injured.
Following the clashes, Congress and Youth Congress workers also staged protest marches in various parts of the state on Friday night. The demonstrations, held from the Kozhikode DCC office, Vadakara’s Nadapuram, and Kannur’s Panoor, turned violent.
Protesters allegedly clashed with police on the Christian College ground, destroyed LDF flex boards, and vandalised road dividers, disrupting traffic.