Kannur, Feb 25 (IANS) Kerala Health Minister Veena George was injured on Wednesday after protesters clashed with police at Kannur railway station, forcing her to cancel her onward journey and seek medical treatment.
The minister had arrived at the Kannur railway station to board the Vande Bharat Express after attending official programmes in Kannur.
As she reached the premises, activists of the Kerala Students Union (KSU), the student wing of the Congress, along with members of the youth wing of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), staged a protest against her.
Police personnel attempted to disperse the demonstrators and clear the way for the Minister.
In the ensuing commotion inside the railway station, George reportedly came between the protesters and the police. During the jostling that followed, she sustained injuries to her neck and hand.
Coincidentally, Assembly Speaker A.N. Shamseer had just entered the station, with the Minister arriving shortly behind him.
The situation escalated quickly into a melee on the platform.
George was seen speaking over the telephone and said she experienced pain radiating from the right side of her neck.
Though the minister initially waited at the station hoping to continue her journey, she later said she was unable to travel due to increasing discomfort.
Her trip was subsequently cancelled, and she was shifted on a trolley from the railway station and taken in a vehicle to the Kannur District Hospital for medical examination and treatment.
Following news of the incident, local leaders of the CPI-M began arriving at the hospital.
Party workers gathered outside as doctors assessed the extent of her injuries.
Reacting to the episode, Speaker Shamseer said protests were part of democracy, but physically manhandling a minister was unacceptable and dangerous to democratic norms.
Police are likely to examine the circumstances leading to the security breach and review arrangements at the station.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has strongly condemned the attack.
–IANS
sg/svn/vd
