Custodial torture row: Congress leader Sudhakaran slams LoP Satheesan for attending CM’s Onam feast

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 6 (PTI) Senior Congress leader K Sudhakaran on Saturday criticised Leader of Opposition in the Kerala assembly V D Satheesan for attending the Onam feast hosted by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in light of the Kunnamkulam custodial torture incident.

Responding to reporters’ queries on whether he would have attended the Onam feast in the wake of CCTV footage showing the alleged torture of Youth Congress leader V S Sujith at Kunnamkulam police station in 2023, Sudhakaran said, “I would not have done that. That was not right. That’s all.” He declined to comment further on the matter.

Sudhakaran described the custodial torture as an "act of police persecution".

“The party has discussed it and taken several decisions. It has also been decided to pursue the matter legally. The party will move forward with it,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Satheesan said protests would intensify if the state government continued to maintain that no further action was required against the five police officials involved.

"Sujith was caned and tortured in a room without CCTV cameras. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has to respond. If he sticks to the stand that no further action is needed against the police officials, we will intensify our protests. Let them take the decision," Satheesan said.

The LoP recently said the five police officials involved in the incident would not be allowed to leave their residences wearing uniforms again.

Meanwhile, there were reports that the Thrissur Deputy Inspector General (DIG) has submitted a report to the Additional Director General of Police (North Zone) recommending the suspension of four police officials who were seen assaulting Sujith in CCTV footage.

The move comes in the wake of a court directly registering a case against the officials.

However, the DIG’s office did not respond to queries on the matter.

Sujith, however, claimed that five policemen were involved in the attack.

“A police driver, Suhail, was also involved. Suspension is not enough. We want all these police officials to be dismissed. We have the full backing of our party,” he said.

On Saturday morning, Congress and Youth Congress activists staged a protest march to the house of Sasidharan, one of the police officials accused of torturing Sujith.

The march, held around 10.30 am at Trikkur in Thrissur, was attended by over 50 activists. Police blocked the protesters before they could reach the house.

During the agitation, some activists sustained injuries while attempting to scale the temporary barricades set up by police.

The injured were later taken to hospital in a police vehicle, officials said. PTI TBA ROH