Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, under attack for alleged police lapses, today hit back at the Congress-led Opposition UDF, saying a section of them were "encouraging extremist elements" who were behind the Tuesday's protest against police in Kochi.
Coming down heavily on the Opposition in the state Assembly, Vijayan also wanted them to examine whether it was correct on their part to justify the action of "extremist elements."
He was replying to a notice for an adjournment motion moved by the Opposition on the alleged attack on a 38-year old man by police following an altercation at Edathala in Aluva in Kochi on Tuesday. Usman was allegedly attacked by police personnel when he protested after his motorbike was hit by their car.
The chief minister's remark triggered strong protests from the Opposition members, who trooped to the well of the House raising anti-government slogans and disrupted proceedings, forcing Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan to adjourn the House for the day.
Explaining the circumstances of the June 5 incident, Vijayan admitted that the police should not have indulged in a scuffle with Usman, even though he started the fight.
However, the protest that broke out against the arrest of Usman for attacking police had "an extremist character," Vijayan said.
"Some of those who took part in the protest were accused in the 2005 bus burning case," the chief minister said, adding the opposition should not "encourage militancy."
"Should the police force be the target of attack by extremists?" Vijayan asked.
The chief minister was referring to a group of people who had on September 9, 2005, torched a Tamil Nadu state-owned bus while protesting against the continued imprisonment of PDP leader Abdul Nasser Madani, an accused in the Coimbatore blasts case.
Stressing that no errant police personnel would be protected, Vijayan, however, said the government would also not succumb to malicious propaganda against police with an objective to weaken it.
A case has been registered against four police personnel in connection with the incident and they were transferred, he added.
Speaker Sreeramakrishnan disallowed permission for the motion after the chief minister's reply.
But the Opposition members continued their protest demanding that Vijayan withdraw his "extremist" remark against the Opposition.
As the protest continued, Speaker went through the other business scheduled for the day and ended the session.
Later talking to reporters, Opposition leaders said the chief minister levelled charges of extremism against them to divert the attention from police lapses.
V D Satheesan (Congress) challenged Vijayan to register cases against any of the opposition MLAs who had "extremist" links.
The Opposition UDF has been on a warpath over alleged laxity on the part of police with regard to investigation in various cases relating to Dalits and women.
The Opposition has alleged that the "laxity and lapse" on the part of the local police was responsible for the alleged incident of honour killing of a Dalit Christian man in Kottayam last month.
In Tuesday's incident at Kochi, Usman was allegedly attacked by police personnel when he protested after his motorbike was hit by their car.
He suffered a broken cheek bone in the attack and was admitted to a private hospital at Kochi.
Usman's relatives alleged he was brutally tortured in custody too.
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