Thiruvananthapuram, September 3 (H.S.): Kerala Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday visited SFI state secretary P.S. Sanjeev at a hospital following injuries sustained during a Secretariat march and alleged that police personnel used excessive force against student protesters.

Vijayan alleged that Sanjeev was subjected to a severe lathi charge during Wednesday’s protest and sustained injuries to various parts of his body. He also alleged that other student protesters, including women, were assaulted during demonstrations in the state capital.

Speaking after meeting Sanjeev, Vijayan said the SFI leader had suffered injuries across his body and alleged that police personnel had targeted vital parts while using lathis. He claimed Sanjeev was unable to speak properly immediately after the alleged assault.

Vijayan further alleged that female students were also subjected to excessive force during an earlier protest. He claimed that one student sustained an injury to her face and another was hit on the back of her head and became unconscious.

The CPI(M) leader also alleged that several protesters had been arrested without sufficient justification and that serious legal provisions were being invoked against participants in the demonstrations.

“What we are seeing is an attempt to deal with ordinary democratic protests in Kerala through police raj,” Vijayan said, alleging that certain police personnel known for such conduct had been deployed to handle protests in Thiruvananthapuram.

He also alleged that protesters were being booked under stringent provisions, including attempt to murder, merely for participating in demonstrations.

The allegations come amid continuing protests by the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) over alleged police action against its members during demonstrations at the University of Kerala.

On Wednesday, SFI activists marched to the Kerala Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, protesting the alleged assault of student leaders, including central committee member Arya Prasad and state secretariat member Vaishnavi Shaji, during a demonstration at the university.

The student organisation had alleged that police used excessive force against its activists during the earlier protest and demanded action against personnel responsible for the alleged assault. It said Prasad and Shaji sustained injuries and were subsequently hospitalised.

Vijayan, a former Kerala Chief Minister, visited Sanjeev amid the continuing political dispute over the handling of student protests and the alleged use of force by police.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar