Youth Congress workers beaten up with flower pots, iron rods at Kerala CM Pinarayi's motorcade

Youth Congress workers were brutally beaten up in Kerala's Eripuram by the state ruling party's youth outfit Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) on Monday for waving black flags at the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's motorcade, the local police said.

The violent attack occurred at 4 pm when several youth Congress workers displayed black flags as Vijayan was visiting his home district Eripuram ahead of his government's outreach program 'Nava Kerala Sadas' (NKS). CM Vijayan was visiting Eripuram along with a team of 20 cabinet ministers. The Congress workers were protesting against NKS and were met with stiff resistance by locals, allegedly belonging to DYFI.

The video accessed by Republic showed a man, sporting a military green shirt, waving a black flag as CM Vijayan's convoy was passing through. He was raising slogans against the state government's inefficiency. Soon, many men were seen charging at him and manhandling him. In the video, the man is seen lying on the ground as several locals beat him up with helmets and flower pots.

The activist was subsequently admitted to a private hospital ICU in Taliparamba after the police intervened.

Condemning the brutal attack against party workers, Congress state president K Sudhakaran said, "This is deplorable and condemnable."

"Is it a criminal act to wave a black flag at the chief minister?," he asked while addressing the media at Kannur. The Congress state unit chief slammed the police for being a mute spectator and failing to defend the democratic right to protest. "Is this Kerala police's method of enforcing law and order?," he asked

"If this trend continues, we will continue to take to the streets,"Sudhakaran further added. Meanwhile, the police have taken several youth Congress activists under preventive custody.  

Case filed against DYFI

Attempt to murder charges were slapped against DYFI workers by the local police. According to the FIR, DYFI workers brutally attacked the Youth Congress workers using helmets, flower pots, and iron rods. The FIR further stated that the attack was a response to the black flag protest.

CPI(M) stance

Reacting to the incident, CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan said that the Youth Congress is trying to act like a suicide squad. LDF convener EP Jayarajan said that the protest was not democratic in nature. "Gandhian mode cannot be trusted if the protestors come with sticks and stones," he said.