Thiruvananthapuram: A key development has emerged in the attempted murder case registered against Kerala Students’ Union (KSU) workers over a black flag protest against Health Minister Veena George at Kannur Railway Station in the last week of February.

The minister’s own statement to the police probe team, recorded nearly two months after the incident, has now weakened the prosecution’s central allegation.

Veena George stated that only pushing and jostling took place during the protest.

This account directly undercuts the claim made by her gunman that she suffered a neck injury caused by a weapon, which formed the basis for invoking Section 307 (attempt to murder) against five KSU workers.

The accused had spent more than two weeks in jail before being granted bail.

Protest sequence and hospitalisation

The protest occurred during the minister’s visit to Kannur, where she faced black flag demonstrations at five different locations.

The situation escalated at Kannur railway station, reportedly following the alleged assault of Youth League leader Shajir Iqbal by CPI(M) workers at Peringome earlier the same day.

At Platform 1, the confrontation lasted around two minutes, involving pushing, shouting and commotion.

After the incident, the minister cancelled her travel and was taken to the district hospital.

As the situation developed, senior leaders including Chief Minister Vijayan visited her.

Later that night, she was shifted to Government Medical College Pariyaram for further evaluation.

Investigation findings and case review

The five arrested KSU workers were first detained by Town Police and later handed over to Railway Police.

An FIR was registered the same night, and they were produced before a magistrate the next morning and remanded.

Bail was granted after around two weeks.

Significantly, the wound certificate from the district hospital did not record any injury caused by a weapon.

Police personnel on duty and CCTV footage from the station also did not indicate any attempt to murder.

Although hospital bulletins from Pariyaram mentioned cervical spine pain, no corroborative evidence of serious assault emerged.

Investigators were unable to record the minister’s statement earlier, and it was provided only after the elections, leading to reassessment of the case.

The development has added weight to Opposition claims that the charges were excessive.

The incident also triggered social media trolling depicting the journalist-turned-minister in poor light.