Kannur: Kannur Town Police have booked five leaders of the Congress’s Kerala Students’ Union (KSU) on charges of attempt to murder in connection with the alleged assault on Minister for Health, Women and Child Development Veena George.

However, the medical report released by Kannur District Hospital at 8 pm -- after nearly four hours of treatment and observation -- is ambiguous about the nature of the injury she sustained and does not specify how the alleged neck injury occurred.

KSU protesters waved black flags and demanded George’s resignation when she reached Kannur Railway Station around 3.20 pm on Wednesday to return to Thiruvananthapuram. Though police intervened and pulled the protesters away, the minister could be seen moving towards them in what appeared to be an attempt to confront them. Police officers, particularly Town Police Sub-Inspector Deepthi V V, were seen restraining her. As per the available visuals, apart from police personnel, no one else appeared to touch the minister.

However, upon reaching Platform No. 2, the minister complained of neck pain to Speaker A N Shamseer, who was scheduled to travel with her on the Vande Bharat train. Shamseer could be heard saying that the pain was due to “the assault she sustained during the KSU protest.”

Subsequently, the CPM alleged that KSU workers had assaulted the minister, and CPM state secretary M V Govindan called for statewide protests. Based on the complaint, Town Police registered an attempt to murder case against KSU Kannur district president M C Athul, who led the protest at the railway station, KSU district treasurer Akshay Mattul, and KSU leaders C H Mubaz, Bithul Balan and Mohammed Yassin.

They are expected to be handed over to the Railway Police, who are likely to invoke additional charges, including trespass and rioting at the railway station. At 8 pm, the District Hospital issued its first medical bulletin stating only that the minister would require an MRI scan.

The bulletin, signed by the District Hospital Superintendent, stated: “A medical team comprising expert doctors, appointed by the Superintendent of Kannur District Hospital, examined and conducted tests on the Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Veena George.

“As per the decision of the Medical Board, (another) expert team constituted by the Superintendent of Kannur Medical College at Pariyaram examined the Minister in connection with the neck injury.

“After evaluation, the medical college team recommended specialised investigations, including an MRI scan.”

Meanwhile, heeding CPM state secretary Govindan’s call for protest, the party, along with its youth wing DYFI, women’s wing AIDWA and students’ wing SFI, took out separate protest marches in Kannur town. DYFI also organised a protest march to the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram. The protest in Kannur saw CPM workers vandalising billboards put up for the UDF’s election rally led by V D Satheesan.

To be sure, CPM leader and Minister V Sivankutty accused Satheesan of orchestrating the attack on Veena George. Other CPM leaders echoed similar allegations without naming him directly.

SFI took out a protest march to the District Congress Committee (DCC) office at Talap and raised slogans against KSU district president M C Athul. SFI workers allegedly threw stones at the DCC office, and when they attempted to enter the premises, police intervened.

DYFI also raised slogans warning that those responsible for attacking the minister would not be spared.

Responding to the alleged attack in Kannur, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that those giving leadership to these (protests) were attempting to turn Kerala into a conflict zone. “I have only one appeal: what they want should not happen. Our state should live peacefully,” he said.