Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], May 19 : Kerala legislative Assembly member from Alappuzha, A D Thomas, on Tuesday expressed confidence of getting justice in the case related to the alleged assault on Congress workers by guards in the security detail of the former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan during the 2023 Nava Kerala Yatra of the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government.
The development comes following the decision of the newly formed United Democratic Front (UDF) government to reopen the investigation into the incident that took place on December 15, 2023 in Alappuzha in which Youth Congress and KSU activists who showed black flags to the Chief Minister's convoy were allegedly assaulted by the then Chief Minister's security team.
"We expect action to be taken against the police officers involved in the assault. A Special Investigation Team has been constituted, and we hope action will be taken within a month. The changes that the people of Kerala are expecting will happen. It was the intervention of K C Venugopal that brought the issue to public attention. A fair and impartial investigation will be carried out," MLA Thomas said.
Thomas was elected to the Assembly after breaching a left bastion by defeating the previous CPM MLA, P P Chitharanjan, in the recent elections.
Earlier, Chief Minister V D Satheesan, after his first Cabinet meeting after being sworn in, had announced that his government has approved the constitution of a special investigation team (SIT) to reinvestigate a case related to the alleged assault on two Youth Congress workers during the protest against the Nava Kerala Yatra in Alappuzha in 2023.
The State cabinet, he said had approved the constitution of a special investigation team (SIT) to reinvestigate the case related to the alleged assault on two Youth Congress workers by gunmen of the then CM Vijayan during the protest against the Nava Kerala Yatra in Alappuzha in 2023.
The Alappuzha Judicial First Class Magistrate Court had, in November 8, 2024, ordered a reinvestigation into the incident, Satheesan said, stating that the previous government had not taken any action. "We cannot forget," the CM said.
'Nava Kerala Sadas' was an outreach initiative of the previous LDF that involved then CM Vijayan and ministers touring all state assembly constituencies to showcase their government's accomplishments.
Thomas, who was the then district president of Kerala Students Union, the student wing of the Congress in Kerala and Ajay Kuriakose, another KSU activist, were among those who sustained injuries after being beaten up for waving black flags in protest against Vijayan's motorcade.
"Even if those who inflicted the cut forget, the tree which has been received the cut cannot forget it, " Thomas told reporters. "The injury was inflicted on the people of Keralam so it is but obvious that there will be action taken. It should not be seen as political vendetta but as a fight for constitutional rights and justice and that it should serve as a strong warning to lawless elements within the police force."
"Those officers who encouraged such behaviour, this administration will take action against them," Thomas said.
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