Political confrontation between the ruling Congress party and the opposition CPM camp in Kerala intensified on Thursday following violent street battles in Thiruvananthapuram. The trouble began on Wednesday night when activists from Congress outfits KSU and the Youth Congress staged a protest march against the Union government and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over electoral integrity issues. The march turned chaotic as it reached the area near the Kerala University men's hostel in Palayam. Youth Congress leaders alleged that activists from CPM outfits SFI and DYFI threw beer bottles and stones from the hostel windows, whereas SFI members claimed that protesters launched burning torches into the building. Parked vehicles belonging to Youth Congress workers were damaged during the commotion before police stepped in with a lathi charge to restore order.

Allegations of covert alliance between CPM and BJP

Congress leaders and cabinet ministers reacted strongly on Thursday, accusing the opposition CPM of maintaining an unspoken alliance with the BJP. Chief Minister V D Satheesan questioned why CPM leaders and SFI activists felt agitated whenever Congress protested against the BJP or central election officials over electoral integrity concerns. Satheesan claimed that both parties were acting like birds of the same feather to destabilise law and order. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala alleged that CPM and BJP were actively coordinating street violence across districts. Chennithala pointed out that BJP's Yuva Morcha activists tried to block Minister K M Shaji on Wednesday, while DYFI members targeted Sports Minister O J Janeesh on Thursday. Meanwhile, Youth Congress National General Secretary and Aranmula MLA Abin Varkey alleged that covert BJP sleeper cells were operating inside the University College hostel alongside SFI members to sabotage the anti-government rally.

Ministers targeted during statewide activist demonstrations

Tensions spread across the state on Thursday as opposition CPM youth and student outfits launched widespread demonstrations. Sports Minister O J Janeesh, who is also the Youth Congress state president, saw his official car repeatedly blocked and attacked by DYFI activists at five separate locations in Kannur and Kasaragod districts. Officers reported that protesters damaged the vehicle's window visor and tried to tear down the national flag mounted on the front bonnet before police escort teams managed to clear the route. In Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, and Kannur, SFI demonstrations led to road blockades and physical scuffles with police forces. Police deployed water cannons outside the Secretariat to disperse crowds, while activists in Payyannur destroyed Congress publicity boards.

Strict police action and government inquiry ordered

State authorities have responded with both criminal charges and administrative investigations following the violence. Police registered two separate cases under non-bailable sections against activists from KSU, Youth Congress, SFI, and DYFI following the initial clash near the university hostel. Higher Education Minister Roji M John ordered a departmental probe to find out how alcohol bottles and unauthorized outsiders entered the college hostel premises. John stressed that educational campuses must remain spaces for debate rather than physical conflict. Both Chief Minister Satheesan and Home Minister Chennithala assured that a full investigation into the broader conspiracy behind the attacks on ministers and campus unrest is underway, promising strict legal action against all those responsible.