UDF stages protest in Kerala assembly

Kerala Assembly proceeding on Wednesday were disrupted after opposition MLAs protested in the well of the house alleging police attack against Kerala Students Union (KSU) workers. The opposition was also seen standing with blood-stained clothes in the assembly.

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala): Kerala Assembly proceeding on Wednesday were disrupted after opposition MLAs protested in the well of the house alleging police attack against Kerala Students Union (KSU) workers here a day before.

Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) members staged a protest in the state assembly and entered the well of the house raising slogans over police lathi-charge on KSU workers and Congress MLA Shafi Parambil. They also demanded CBI inquiry into the Walayar rape case.

The opposition was also seen standing with blood-stained clothes in the assembly. The speaker of the Assembly left his seat after five MLAs entered into his dais.

MLA VT Balram stopped assembly proceedings and demanded a discussion on Tuesday's police action against KSU protesters and Shafi Parambil. He alleged that Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan's police was "acting like monkeys and stray dogs."

Kerala Minister EP Jayarajan said, "In the assembly, police lathi-charged KSU workers because the workers prevented police from performing their duty. Police tried to disperse them multiple times by using water cannons and tear gas."

The police on November 19 detained members of KSU, the student wing of the Congress in Kerala who were demanding a CBI inquiry into the 2017 Walayar rape case among other demands.

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The state government has ordered a probe into the incident. Earlier on Monday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan signed an order dismissing the public prosecutor representing the state government for inefficiently handling the Walayar rape case.

The government has agreed to extend support to the parents of the victims if they approach the court demanding a CBI inquiry into the case.

Meanwhile, Kerala state government today filed an appeal in Kerala High Court seeking re-investigation and re-trial into the Walayar rape case.

The case pertains to the rape of two minor sisters, aged nine and 13 years, in Walayar in Palakkad district in 2017. While one of them allegedly committed suicide, the second one was later found dead.

The post mortem examination had revealed that both the girls were subjected to sexual assault.