In connection with the assault on Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's office, 19 activists of the Students' Federation of India (SFI), the student arm of the ruling CPI(M), have so far been detained and taken into custody. All of the individuals detained were recognised as local SFI activists, and a local court remanded them for two weeks.
The Left administration on Friday night ordered a high-level investigation by an ADGP-rank official and suspended Kalpetta Deputy Superintendent of Police pending investigation, hours after SFI militants vandalised the Gandhi office in Wayanad.
The Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly, V D Satheesan, visited the vandalised office this morning and reiterated that it was done with the knowledge of Vijayan, according to the opposition Congress, which has continued to accuse the ruling Marxist party's top leadership of knowing about the violence and vandalism to Gandhi's office. Additionally, he said that one of those responsible for the attack on Gandhi's office here was a former member of Health Minister Veena George's personal staff. "Congress and the UDF will keep protesting. With the Pinarayi Government's active support, goondaism flourishes in Kerala "He had earlier tweeted.
The chief minister issued a strongly worded statement, saying that while this country guarantees space for freedom of expression and democratic protest, it is a wrong practise if it escalates into violence. The main opposition party asserted that the attack occurred with the knowledge of the Vijayan. In response to Gandhi's alleged delay on the subject of buffer zones around forests, SFI activists staged a march to his office, where the event happened.