Mono act; rowdyism: Political slugfest, protest erupt over Kerala health minister injury episode

A fierce political slugfest has erupted in Kerala after Health Minister Veena George was allegedly injured during a protest by activists of the Congress-led opposition’s student wing, KSU, at Kannur railway station on Wednesday.

The confrontation has triggered a sharp exchange between the ruling CPM-led government and the Congress-led UDF, with both sides staking rival claims over what unfolded.

Minister injured at Kannur railway station

According to police sources, the incident took place when George reached Kannur railway station to board a train. Television visuals showed the minister, accompanied by police personnel, hemmed in by protesters.

State Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer, who was present at the station, said the minister suffered injuries to her hand and neck.

Reacting to the incident, he said assaulting the minister was wrong and deserved condemnation. She had sustained an injury to her hand and was unable to move her neck, he said. "Protest was permissible, but physical assault was not the correct course of action. Attacking a minister was not an ornament to democracy and must be condemned," he said.

George was shifted to the government hospital in Kannur and is undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit, senior CPM leader P Jayarajan said.

The minister has been facing protests for the past week over incidents of alleged medical negligence involving some patients.

Chief Minister terms incident ‘deplorable politics’

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan strongly condemned the alleged attack, calling it an act of “deplorable politics” by the Congress.

In a statement, he said the minister was attacked and injured while walking towards the platform. “What happened there was not a protest of any kind, but the rampage of a group of violent individuals,” Vijayan said.

He said Kerala has one of the best public health systems in India and accused the Congress of exaggerating certain incidents to target a minister “who had no involvement whatsoever”.

“Such actions cannot be seen as politics, but only as political degeneration,” he said, warning that the Congress leadership should not believe they could “unleash their supporters and disrupt law and order or create unrest in the state.”

He said responsibility for the incident rested entirely with the Congress and UDF leadership and that strict action would follow. “The attack by KSU activists is a reflection of their style of polluting politics by raising completely baseless allegations. This incident is highly condemnable and deserving of strong protest,” Vijayan said.

CPM escalates attack; Opposition rejects assault claim

CPM leaders launched strong protests over the incident. In Kannur, district secretary K K Ragesh, senior leader P Jayarajan and MLAs led a demonstration. The party has called for protest marches across the state. Kannur CPM district secretary K K Ragesh alleged the episode was a continuation of attempts to endanger the minister and said she had suffered a serious neck injury. He questioned whether such a physical attack on a woman minister had ever been seen before, calling it not a protest but rowdyism, and warned that strong protests would follow.

State secretary M V Govindan, in a Facebook post, described it as a vile and unprecedented attack on a woman minister in Kerala’s political history. He alleged it was a planned assault by criminals from the Congress student and youth wings and linked it to a previous attack on the minister’s house. He said democratic resistance would rise across the state.

Minister Muhammed Riyas said this was the first time in history that a woman minister had faced such a protest. Protests were not wrong, he said, but this was not a democratic form of agitation. He alleged that a hate campaign had been carried out against George and said those responsible should apologise. He asked what wrong she had committed.

However, Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan rejected claims that KSU activists attacked the minister. He said a preliminary inquiry showed the activists did not even reach her and that this was clear from visuals aired in the media.

He said only three or four KSU activists were present, while around 35 police personnel were at the spot. According to him, it was the minister who moved aggressively towards the activists. He added that more visuals would be examined and that if any lapse by KSU workers was found, strong action would be taken.

In a separate development, a KSU Facebook post mocked the minister, calling the episode “acting” and sharing a newspaper clipping about her winning first prize in mono act during her school days.