Protests galore in the wake of injury to Health Minister Veena George amid KSU protest in Kannur

Protests by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and its affiliate groups erupted across the State after Health Minister Veena George sustained injuries to her neck and hand during a scuffle between black-flag-wielding Kerala Students Union (KSU) activists and the police at the Kannur railway station on Wednesday. 

The Minister, who was scheduled to leave for Thiruvananthapuram, was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Kannur District Hospital. A medical bulletin from the hospital stated that an expert team had been assigned to assess the severity of the Minister’s neck injury. 

The police arrested five KSU workers in connection with the incident and charged them with attempted murder. 

The episode occurred amid widespread protests against the Minister by the Opposition in recent days, who have alleged a collapse of the public health sector. It sparked strong reactions and protest marches by Leftist and Left-leaning outfits across the State, leading to effigy-burning and confrontations with Congress workers.  

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan visited Ms. George at the hospital and described the incident as “a heinous attack” on a woman holding public office. “The incident reflects the inherent villainy of the Congress leadership. The Congress unleashed a band of assailants against the Minister. It has violated all norms of democratic protest and resorted to mob violence,” he said. 

Mr. Vijayan stated that Kerala’s public health system was renowned and had emerged as the best in the country, according to surveys and audits by various national and international agencies, including the NITI Aayog. 

The CPI(M) State secretariat condemned the alleged attack, accusing the Congress of attempting to harm her, citing the recent incident in which protesters placed a funeral wreath at her official residence in Thiruvananthapuram.

Party general secretary M.A. Baby urged the Congress and the United Democratic Front (UDF) leadership to denounce the attack. CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan squarely blamed Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan for the incident. Left Democratic Front convener T.P. Ramakrishnan called on the UDF to end such “farcical protests” against Kerala’s robust public health system. Communist Party of India State secretary Binoy Viswom described the incident as an affront to democratic culture. 

Mr. Satheesan, however, told reporters in Ernakulam that there was no evidence —  much less any video footage — showing KSU workers attacking Ms. George. He said the UDF would continue its black-flag protests against her. 

Mr. Satheesan noted that the KSU protesters numbered only “four or five,” while an estimated 35 police personnel were protecting Ms. George. “No KSU worker came anywhere near her. In fact, Ms. George was seen charging towards the workers,” he said. He added that the Congress had conducted a preliminary inquiry and found no wrongdoing on the part of the workers. “If any inculpatory evidence emerges, the party will take action against them,” he stated. 

Former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president K. Sudhakaran, MP, mocked Ms. George, calling her “a good actor, though not a good health minister” and accusing her of feigning the attack. He dismissed it as a baseless political drama. “Eyewitness accounts and available footage clearly indicate that no physical attack was carried out on the Minister,” he maintained.