Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who sustained minor injuries in stone pelting by Opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) workers at Kannur on Sunday, was discharged from the government medical college hospital here this morning. Earlier, doctors concluded that his condition was stable.
Mr. Chandy, who suffered a scar on his forehead and was reportedly hit on his chest and feet, left the hospital around 10 a.m. He has been advised rest for three days. The Chief Minister has cancelled his mass contact programme scheduled to be held in Kollam on Tuesday. Although a meeting of top police officials held here on had decided to strengthen the security cover for Mr. Chandy on Monday, he has rejected it and declared his intention to continue with the mass contact programme.
Talking to reporters, the Chief Minister took full responsibility for the incident and said that if there was any failure on the part of the police, he was responsible for it. Party workers had warned him about the possibility of violence as he reached Kannur town to attend the valedictory of the Kerala Police Athletic Meet. The police had also warned him that there would be an attempt for repeat of the Koothuparambu police firing (on November 24 killng five Democratic Youth Federation of India workers and injuring six others).
He had told the Additional Director General of Police that there should be no use of force to facilitate his entry into stadium. The police had complied with his direction. It was clear that the Opposition’s attempt was not to stage a protest against him. If that were so, they would not have laid siege to all the three entrances to the stadium. Earlier, when he took alternative routes to avoid confrontation between the police and the Opposition workers, he was accused of having run away from the people. He did not propose to do anything of the kind and would continue to work among the people, the Chief Minister said.
Meanwhile, reports from Kannur said that the police had identified the person who had thrown a stone at the Chief Minister’s car. District leadership of the CPI (M) has accused the police of having launched an indiscriminate rounding up of its activists based on lists provided by the local Congress leaders.
