The Hindu: Kochi: Monday, 8 September 2025.
Four police officers, accused of assaulting a Youth Congress leader at Kunnamkulam, were suspended on Saturday. Satheesan says Congress will continue to fight till they are dismissed from service
Leader of the Opposition
in the Kerala Assembly V.D. Satheesan on Sunday said the police personnel
involved in the 2023 custodial torture of a Youth Congress leader in Thrissur
should be dismissed from service.
The CCTV footage from the police station surfaced after V.S. Sujith, who was assaulted at the Kunnamkulam police station, obtained it through the Right to Information (RTI) Act recently. The State government suspended four officers accused in the case on Saturday.
“The suspension of the policemen is not enough. They have no right to continue in service and the Congress will continue to fight till they are dismissed,” Mr. Satheesan told reporters here. He said such “criminal elements” who brutally assaulted an innocent person in custody should not be allowed to continue in service.
He alleged that a “caucus” in the Chief Minister’s office was controlling the State police force. “The Director General of Police (DGP) has no control over district superintendents (SP) of police and the SPs have no control over station house officers,” he said.
He also mentioned the latest CCTV footage of a custodial torture at Peechi police station assaulting restaurant employees which surfaced on Sunday. The footage was released by Thrissur-based businessman K.P. Ouseph, managing director of Laly’s Group, whose employees were allegedly assaulted inside the Peechi police station on May 24, 2023.
Vellappally’s comment
On Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan’s comment that the Leader of the Opposition was rehearsing to be the Chief Minister, Mr. Satheesan said he would not comment on every remark of Mr. Natesan.
Mr. Satheesan said his duty was to bring back the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) to power and the rest will be decided by the Congress high command.
The Leader of the Opposition said everyone knew who Mr. Natesan was speaking for. “He insulted Muslims in Malappuram and Christians in Kottayam through his speeches. The same person was praised for upholding principles of Sree Narayana Guru by the Chief Minister.” Asked about former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K. Sudhakaran criticising his attendance at an Onam feast hosted by the Chief Minister, he said Mr. Sudhakaran is a senior leader and has the freedom to point out mistakes. “I have no complaints,” he said.
Mr. Satheesan alleged that Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] media handles were hiring YouTube channels to launch a vicious attack on him. “I will not budge an inch from my conscientious stance on issues even if there is a sea of attacks against me,” he said.
Four police officers, accused of assaulting a Youth Congress leader at Kunnamkulam, were suspended on Saturday. Satheesan says Congress will continue to fight till they are dismissed from service
The CCTV footage from the police station surfaced after V.S. Sujith, who was assaulted at the Kunnamkulam police station, obtained it through the Right to Information (RTI) Act recently. The State government suspended four officers accused in the case on Saturday.
“The suspension of the policemen is not enough. They have no right to continue in service and the Congress will continue to fight till they are dismissed,” Mr. Satheesan told reporters here. He said such “criminal elements” who brutally assaulted an innocent person in custody should not be allowed to continue in service.
He alleged that a “caucus” in the Chief Minister’s office was controlling the State police force. “The Director General of Police (DGP) has no control over district superintendents (SP) of police and the SPs have no control over station house officers,” he said.
He also mentioned the latest CCTV footage of a custodial torture at Peechi police station assaulting restaurant employees which surfaced on Sunday. The footage was released by Thrissur-based businessman K.P. Ouseph, managing director of Laly’s Group, whose employees were allegedly assaulted inside the Peechi police station on May 24, 2023.
Vellappally’s comment
On Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan’s comment that the Leader of the Opposition was rehearsing to be the Chief Minister, Mr. Satheesan said he would not comment on every remark of Mr. Natesan.
Mr. Satheesan said his duty was to bring back the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) to power and the rest will be decided by the Congress high command.
The Leader of the Opposition said everyone knew who Mr. Natesan was speaking for. “He insulted Muslims in Malappuram and Christians in Kottayam through his speeches. The same person was praised for upholding principles of Sree Narayana Guru by the Chief Minister.” Asked about former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K. Sudhakaran criticising his attendance at an Onam feast hosted by the Chief Minister, he said Mr. Sudhakaran is a senior leader and has the freedom to point out mistakes. “I have no complaints,” he said.
Mr. Satheesan alleged that Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] media handles were hiring YouTube channels to launch a vicious attack on him. “I will not budge an inch from my conscientious stance on issues even if there is a sea of attacks against me,” he said.
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