Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K. Sudhakaran and a few other Congress leaders were among those hospitalised when the State police fired tear gas shells and discharged water cannons to disperse Congress protesters who marched to the police headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram on December 23.
Mr. Sudhakaran had to be evacuated from the makeshift protest stage by Congress workers after he complained of uneasiness when tear gas smoke engulfed the area. He was soon hospitalised to a private hospital along with Jeby Mather, MP, Chandy Oommen, Anwar Sadath, MLAs, and a few others.
The KPCC president termed the police action arbitrary and unjustifiable. He said the police fired tear gas shells at party leaders at the forefront of the march. “There was no provocation. I had just finished my speech when the tear gas shells landed. The smoke caused suffocation,” Mr. Sudhakaran said.
