Kerala’s political landscape is buzzing after Health Minister Veena George’s statement to police has effectively dismantled the attempt-to-murder case against KSU protesters. What began as a fiery black flag protest at Kannur Railway Station in late February has now exposed cracks in the prosecution’s narrative.
In her delayed testimony, George clarified that the altercation involved only minor physical tussles—no weapons or life-threatening moves. This punches a hole in the gunman’s account of a neck slash, which justified the grave Section 307 charges against five young activists who endured over a fortnight behind bars pre-bail.
Lack of solid proof—from absent weapon mentions in hospital records, corroborative police accounts, to CCTV visuals—has prompted railway authorities to downgrade charges in the upcoming chargesheet. The minister faced protests across five spots in Kannur, with the station clash reportedly intensified by a prior CPI(M)-linked assault on a rival leader.
Pandemonium reigned on Platform 1 for two minutes: pushes, yells, panic. George aborted her schedule, got immediate medical aid at the district facility, and drew visits from top brass like CM Vijayan. Transferred to Pariyaram later, reports cited cervical pain sans evidence of malice aforethought.
Arrests happened swiftly post-incident, FIR that night, court the next morning. Yet, the case’s review post-elections, triggered by George’s finally recorded details, underscores opposition accusations of charge inflation. Online backlash has since painted the minister in poor light, questioning the saga’s political undercurrents.
