Thiruvananthapuram

Kerala Opposition leader V.D. Satheesan on Friday demanded that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan apologise for failing to act on a 2024 complaint about the alleged brutal assault of a pregnant woman and her family by police personnel. Satheesan said the Chief Minister, who also holds the Home portfolio, was aware of the incident but chose not to intervene, allowing it to be suppressed.

According to the Opposition, the woman’s husband was taken into custody over a minor issue, detained, and subjected to severe assault. When the woman reached the station with her children to protest, she too was allegedly assaulted. Satheesan described the incident as unprecedented, saying assaulting a pregnant woman in a police station was unheard of. He added that the case only came to light after reaching the courts.

Satheesan demanded a thorough investigation and action against all responsible personnel. He also sought a probe into whether senior police officers or officials from the Chief Minister’s Office had shielded the errant staff. Criticising police excesses and corruption under the current government, he alleged that even senior officers facilitated parole for criminals in exchange for bribes.

Referring to previous instances of police misconduct, including a case involving a Youth Congress leader in Thrissur, Satheesan accused the CPI(M) and the Chief Minister’s Office of shielding guilty officers and failing to honour Assembly assurances.

Meanwhile, the police officer Prathapachandran, accused of assaulting the pregnant woman, has been suspended. The victim has stated that her family will pursue legal action, claiming other police officials also humiliated her. The case surfaced after a video of the assault went viral, drawing widespread public attention.