“Disgraceful”: Shashi Tharoor Slams DYFI For Attacking Youth Congress Members Who Wave Black Flag At Kerala Ministers

The Congress leader and Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor took to his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Sunday and slammed the DYFI (Democratic Youth Federation of India) members who attacked the Youth Congress protestor”s for waving black flags in protest against Kerala ministers. The Congress activists flagged black clothes at the Nava Kerala Sadas special bus. The bus carrying Chief Minister and other cabinet ministers was passing through Eripuram in Payyanur Taluk of the Kannur district of Kerala. The protestors were beaten pitifully in front of the police and other security personnel.

“This is disgraceful”, wrote Mr Tharoor on X. He was criticising the deed of DYFI workers, a youth organisation which is affiliated to the interests of the governing Left Democratic Front (LDF) of the state. “No peaceful protest in a democracy deserves to be disrupted by violent goons while policemen stand idly by”, he added. It was the first protest against the Nava Kerala Sadas in the state. Mr Tharoor also raised a question that, “when will such uniformed lawbreakers be brought to account?”

This is disgraceful. No peaceful protest in a democracy deserves to be disrupted by violent goons while policemen stand idly by. When will such uniformed lawbreakers be brought to account? https://t.co/HeyTrpjxfu

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) November 20, 2023

The attacked were identified as Mahita Mohan, Youth Congress Kannur district vice-president, and Sudeesh Vellachal. They breached the heavy security and entered the road with black colour flags. They were in-short attacked and assaulted by DYFI members including the Nava Kerala volunteers. The victims sustained with injuries to the head and were admitted to a hospital in Kannur’s Taliparamba.

As reported by OnManorama, Mahita Mohan, who was in police custody alleged that the DYFI-SFI activists brutally beaten the protestors while the police merely looked on. A video footage which went viral on social media also shows that, the victims were attacked even by helmets and pots by the DYFI volunteers, and the security personnel of the event were seen less interfering. Meanwhile, the Congress workers said that they have planned similar protests against the Nava Kerala Sadas in various places. As said by the police, four KSU and Youth League activists had been placed under preventive custody.